The Human Condition
by Diamondflame33
Summary: You don't really bother about magic under normal circumstances, so most people don't really wonder about it. So when you end up using it on a complete stranger, and get pulled into more unusual circumstances than you're comfortable with, you figure perhaps that fate is tired of you ignoring it. Reader/Underswap Sans
1. Meeting You

Sighing tiredly, you brought your palm up to rest your face on, elbow digging uncomfortably into the counter. The clock on the wall helpfully informed you of the dwindling time left on your shift, ticking away much more slowly than it had any right to do.

Maybe working a night shift on the same days as classes was a mistake. Grillby was such a good boss, though, that you couldn't just decline the request to work until closing. Nobody stayed until four in the morning on a Wednesday though, so you'd spent several hours alone in the bar waiting for customers who would never appear.

You were too tired to be happy when the clock hit four and you got to change the sign to "closed" and lock up. The walk to your dorms was, thankfully, all well-lit roads.

Well-lit roads you had fully intended to stay on until you heard a low groan of pain. You paused near the dim alley you had heard it from and cursed your nature as the groan came again. How could you just ignore it? Short answer: you couldn't.

Any hope it was just a drunk was dashed as your eyes adjusted to the darkness. Leaning against the brick wall, half-hidden by a dumpster, was a monster. At least you assumed it was. Normally, human skeletons couldn't groan. They looked bruised, although you weren't entirely sure how that was possible, and a skeletal arm lay uselessly on the ground next to them, covered in dust.

You recovered from your shock as quickly as you could, kneeling in front of the armor-clad skeleton. Seems it hadn't helped him as much as it perhaps should have. "Hey." You stated gently, trying to ascertain if the monster was conscious before touching them.

Eye-sockets opened and small blue lights appeared inside. You assumed this was their way of seeing. The lights trained on you before widening, and the skeleton tried to scoot away from you, eliciting a grunt of pain. "PLEASE," a masculine voice begged, "PLEASE DON'T HURT ME ANYMORE."

You flinched, even though you had a good idea why he was so beat up in the first place. Slowly, to avoid spooking the skeleton into harming himself any further, you dropped your bag to the side and raised your hands up in front of you. His blue pupils watched every bit of it carefully. "I'm not going to." You reassured him. "I don't like pain, no matter who's feeling it. May I help you?"

Not that you were willing to just leave if he said no, but thankfully you didn't need to worry about that as he slowly nodded. As slowly as before, you reached into your bag and brought out a can of sea tea, a handkerchief, and a water bottle. Handing him the can to drink, you informed him of what you were doing as you wet the handkerchief and moved to clean him up, knowing that it often helped keep people calm. His multitude of bruises and cuts faded a bit as he sipped at the magical drink.

Dirt and grime clung to his bones, and you were absolutely certain that your handkerchief would have to be thrown away after this. Still, you scrubbed gently at what you could reach without disturbing his armor or injuries.

Until you got to the detached arm. You paused as you picked it up in your left hand, your other cleaning the stub left on him. He spoke up as you debated with yourself. "HUMAN, I KNOW YOU CAN'T FIX THAT."

As if to save you from leaving him in pain. How could you just leave it when you _could_ fix it? You shut your eyes as you responded. "Say I could. I have no right to ask this of you, but could you keep it quiet?" You didn't wait for his response as your hands lit up in a bright, cobalt energy.

Suddenly, you could see all of him in your mind's eye. Every pain and bruise. Every cut carved into his bones. Firstly, you focused on the missing limb, bringing the two stubs together so they matched up properly. The magic in your hands urged the two pieces to fuse, taking quite a bit of energy until they were done.

Once that was finished, without bothering to open your eyes, your hands trailed over his pains and eased them away. Reattaching a limb wasn't exactly an easy feat, but since you _had_ the ability to heal his pains, why shouldn't you?

The skeleton shifted as the glow ebbed from your hands and you leaned back on your heels to rest your head on your knees, exhaustion catching up to you. The image of him in your mind faded as you released your hold on your magic.

The lethargy hit you like a brick wall. Or did you hit it? You weren't quite sure how that worked. Too much. If you didn't get to bed soon, you were probably going to collapse or something. You forced yourself to focus. The skeleton still needed help.

"Do you have someone you can call?" you croaked out. "It isn't exactly safe here." Blindly, you reached for your bag, slipping the phone out of its pocket and holding it in front of you for him to grab.

It took a few seconds for him to take it. Several beeps later and the skeleton's loud voice rang out from somewhere above you. You mentally shrugged, figuring he'd stood up. "HELLO? YES BROTHER, I-. NO I-. I GOT ATTACKED BUT-. AN ALLEY NEAR MUFFET'S."

Several things happened then, in such quick succession that you weren't entirely sure if they weren't simultaneous. A loud pop sounded through the alley. A bony hand grabbed your collar and dragged you to your feet roughly, startling you into opening your eyes. There was another skeleton, dressed in an orange hoodie growling something at you. You brought your hand up as quickly as your exhausted body would allow, slapping the offending appendage off of your clothes.

Your mind didn't quite register what it was saying to you as you flinched away, stumbling back from the threatening presence. The skeleton you'd helped stopped the second one from grabbing you again as you landed unceremoniously on your butt. "THIS HUMAN HELPED ME, AND LENT ME HER PHONE TO CALL YOU."

"you said you got attacked. where are the ones that attacked you?" a second, quiet-yet-masculine voice demanded, eyeing the unfinished drink in the first skeleton's hands. Perhaps it would explain just how unmarked he was.

This must be the brother then. You again stopped registering what they were saying as your tired eyes inspected the two curiously. He was much taller than you, probably standing at six-and-a-half feet at least. Your eyes shifted to the armored skeleton. Now that he was standing, you could see he was shorter, not even coming up to his brother's chin. Probably about your height then.

The taller one seemed to be more anatomically correct as a human skeleton. That was a mean assumption that you immediately scolded yourself for. The taller one actually moved his jaw when talking though. Watching in interest as the smaller skeleton talked without opening his jaw at all, you missed the fact that both of them had turned to regard you.

Apparently, your dazed mind wasn't quite finished with regarding the taller skeleton as a threat; a fact you were forced to note as you found yourself flinching and scooting away when he reached toward you. It was surprising to you, because you hadn't even consciously registered the fact that he had moved. Dumbly, it occurred to you that you'd copied the shorter skeleton's actions from earlier. You stared, uncomprehending, at the outstretched limb hanging in the air as an odd expression crossed both brothers' faces.

You had no idea what was going on.

"HUMAN?" You blinked at the short skeleton as his loud voice finally pierced through the haze enshrouding your mind.

"Skeleton?" You responded stupidly, not quite sure what he wanted your attention for.

The permanent grin on his face stretched, and you equated the new expression with being happy. "AH, HUMAN. YOU MAY CALL ME THE MAGNIFICENT SANS. THIS IS MY LAZY BROTHER PAPYRUS."

You responded with only your name as you gazed around, wondering which way your dorm was. Was walking worth it? Couldn't you sleep here?

Someone was talking to you again. You looked up again at the skeleton brothers. "-ome, kid?" What?

"It's five in the morning." You blurted, remembering. Both monsters seemed surprised by the sudden outburst.

"uh…?" The tall-Papyrus glanced at his brother, unsure. The Magnificent Sans seemed just as confused. The confusion seemed to turn to borderline panic as you curled up on the concrete to go to sleep. You swatted limply at the gloved hands trying to shake you as voices entered your ears.

"IS THE HUMAN BROKEN?" was the last thing that made it through the fog in your head as you drifted. It had been so long since you healed someone, you'd forgotten how tiring it was. And how dangerous when already tired. You should have stopped after the arm.

* * *

Sans glanced at his brother worriedly, preparing to ask a question before realizing you had asked him not to tell anyone you had used magic to help him. But were you okay? Humans generally didn't curl up and go to sleep in alleyways when they had perfectly good homes and beds, which, judging by your well-kept appearance, you definitely had.

"IS THE HUMAN BROKEN?" He asked instead. Papyrus didn't seem nearly as worried as he was, which assured him a little.

"i think she's just tired bro. maybe we should just let her sleep." He suggested.

"VERY WELL. SINCE YOU SEEM TO LIKE IT SO MUCH, OUR COUCH SEEMS LIKE AN ADEQUATE COMFORTABLE PLACE FOR HER TO SLEEP." Without giving time for Papyrus to protest, the elder skeleton scooped you up and began the trek home with long, practiced strides.


	2. Because I Should

You woke to the shrilling of your phone. A vaguely familiar voice cursed in the background as you forced your eyes open to look for the annoying device. Before you had the chance though, you realized you didn't recognize your surroundings at all. You were laying on a green couch, wrapped up in a blue fleece.

The offending noise came from a coffee table a few feet away. You rolled onto the floor, reaching for it as you tried to remember how you got here. Helping a skeleton. Falling asleep. Healing magic? Your hand blindly searched the surface for your phone, but someone beat you to it.

A mustard-colored lizard stood above you glaring at the now quiet object. Right behind them was The Magnificent Sans. How much sleep did you get? "A brown blanket would work better for this couch." You informed him dully before dropping your head back to the floor. "Was that the seven o'clock alarm or seven-thirty?"

A gravelly -yet distinctly female- voice answered you. "Seven-thirty." The lizard was a girl then.

Seven-thirty. Thursday? Thursday. Then it occurred to you. "Crap!" You swore, flinging yourself to your feet and twisting around to search for your bag. Vaguely, you registered how the lizard-woman shoved The Magnificent Sans back as you panicked, glaring at your outburst.

You stumbled as you spotted the familiar object near Papyrus, trying to get your legs to work and take you to it. Nope. You tripped and faceplanted. Hard. It didn't matter. Pain would have to register later. You had class in thirty minutes and you definitely were _not_ in your dorm. You scrambled back into forward motion, crawling toward your bag as the three monsters in the room watched you, guarded.

"Phone!" You shouted, still panicking as you yanked on the shoes your hosts had so kindly removed for you. It came skidding across the floor to you and you shoved it in your bag before screeching and yanking it back out to check your gps.

Not too far away then. Maybe even close enough to make it on time if you ran. "Sorry for imposing, thanks for the couch, I have class, bye!" You shouted at them in a jumble, ignoring their confounded expressions as you tripped out of their door and dashed down the street.

You managed to slip into the lecture hall with not even a minute to spare. You tried to calm your frantic breathing and heartbeat as you made your way to a seat in the back, hoping not to bother anyone. Resting your head on the table, you didn't even flinch when Fuku sat next to you.

"Cut that a bit close, huh?" the green fire elemental teased. "Did you sleep through your second alarm again?"

She completely ignored the half-hearted glare you gave her, causing your lips to turn up into a wry smile. "No actually. I helped a hurt person last night after work and woke up on their couch. My legs are burning. My lungs are burning." You let your head slam back into the table.

Fuku's fiery lips pulled down into a worried frown. "Really? That's dangerous. You got off at, what? Closing, right? Four? Who was it?"

"I couldn't just leave someone hurt in an alley Fuku. Uh, a skeleton named The Magnificent Sans. Some walnut literally tore his arm off, so I reattached it. Then his brother showed up, and I truly don't want to talk about it. What is that look for?" Fuku was staring at you like you'd grown a second head.

"Did you heal him? I thought you were more careful than that with your…" She trailed off, flaming eyes growing wide before she squeaked. "Sans? Papyrus?"

Slightly perturbed, and at this point completely ignoring the lecture, you answered, "Yeah. And I _am_ careful. Nobody but The Magnificent Sans was there when I healed him. I'm not dumb. I asked him not to tell anyone about it. I dunno if he listened though."

Your best friend opened her mouth to respond, but the professor coughed to gain your attention and the conversation had to be abandoned. It was beyond difficult to stay awake for the whole lecture, but with Fuku's help you managed. Two hours was not enough sleep.

"We're going to talk about this later." She warned you as the professor dismissed the class. "Are you okay? Using magic may be a cinch for you, but reattaching a limb is serious business. You must have used a lot. Are you going to be okay in class? Tell me you don't work today."

"I'll be fine. I only have one more class and then I can nap until my shift." You assured her as you walked across campus. She was so cute when she was being a worrywart.

With a sigh, she shoved a cinnabunny in your hands. "It'll help get your magic back up. Be more careful, please."

"I'm always careful. I promise I'll give you a full rundown later. At least as much of it as I remember. Good luck in class." You parted ways.

You did not, in fact, get to take that nap later. Around eleven your phone began to buzz, just as you were nodding off. You didn't recognize the number.

"Hello?" you questioned into the receiver groggily.

"is this _?"

That voice was still vaguely familiar. Where had you heard it? Suddenly it dawned on you. "Papyrus?"

"i'm surprised you remember that." He informed you simply.

"I wasn't sure I did. How's The Magnificent Sans?" you inquired sleepily. A snort of laughter came through the phone and you were aptly baffled. Fuku had recognized the name, so there was no way you got it wrong, right?

Sudden yelling made you yank the phone away from your ear. "I AM WELL HUMAN, THANKS TO YOU!" So, Papyrus had put you on speakerphone? "ARE YOU WELL? YOU LEFT IN QUITE A RUSH THIS MORNING."

"M'good, The Magnificent Sans. I had classes this morning. Now I'm just trying to get in some shut-eye before my shift."

The female voice from this morning piped up, also clearly amused. "Just call him Sans." That was a bit rude, wasn't it? You should address him the way he'd introduced himself. At least until he decided to ask you himself to change.

When you didn't respond, Papyrus spoke up again. "can we treat you to lunch? as a thank you?" his voice sounded oddly strained to you as he asked, as if it were the last thing he actually wanted to say.

Hesitating a bit, knowing Papyrus didn't actually want to treat you at all, you answered. "Sure, I guess. Where at? When?"

"Muffet's. Now." The lizard responded before you heard a click.

Well then. If you were going to be up until after your shift tonight, then you might as well be functional. Tapping into your soul, you grabbed a thin sliver of your magic and got yourself back to moderate awareness.

Though you didn't heal monsters often, you were _very_ used to this particular usage of your power. It was the only way your magic worked on yourself, after all.

Fuku was going to be pissed that you weren't sleeping. Especially since she was probably eating at Muffet's right now before her afternoon class. Your mind brushed the thought aside as you pulled on some jeans and shoved a bra and shirt on.

Your eyes quickly skimmed your too-empty dorm room searching for your keys, which you'd tossed haphazardly after locking your door. You'd never bothered unpacking all of your clothes, figuring it made packing simple when you had the chance to fly home to visit family. Your bed was covered with dorm-provided linens, and the only real indication that you lived there rather than visiting were the toiletries in the bathroom.

Your keys had landed, luckily enough, right next to your bag. You swiped them up before ducking in the small bathroom you shared with the two girls next door to you. Splashing some water on your face woke you up a bit more naturally.

Your shift started at three today, so there was no point in coming back to the dorms after lunch. You could just go chill at the park, assuming the skeletons don't decide to talk to you for hours on end. Perhaps this would be a good time to figure out if The Magnificent Sans had spilled your secret to anyone.

You yanked on your work shoes and grabbed your bag, locking your dorm behind you as you left, running your fingers through your hair to tame it as the wind picked up.

You weren't entirely aware, even as you wandered up to the cute café and stared. Should you go in? A very pissy green fire elemental snapped you back to reality as she stormed out at you. While it was probably a very normal volume to most humans, you cringed a bit as she shrieked at you, scolding you for not sleeping like you'd said you were going to.

"But I got invited to lunch…" Came your oh-so-witty reply. Before she managed to start herself up on another rant, you hugged her, snuggling into her warm sweater. You trusted absolutely that she wouldn't burn you. Even though you couldn't see it, you knew her face was probably burning bright blue in embarrassment.

Approaching voices made Fuku struggle in your grip just a bit, so you tightened your hold to let her know you weren't done showing your affection for her. "are we interrupting something?" Papyrus asked from somewhere behind you.

You could practically feel the embarrassment coming off of Fuku, who wasn't particularly good around strangers of any sort, so naturally you responded with a simple, "Yes," before going back to cuddling your best friend, hoping he would take the hint. She stuttered a bit as she took in the skeleton and whoever else was with him.

He did, opting not to say anything else until you released her and she hissed in your ear that you were definitely going to talk later. You couldn't help but chuckle as she stormed off in mock fury. She was so cute!

Four monsters were standing there giving you an odd look as you turned toward them. Papyrus, The Magnificent Sans, the lizard from before and-.

Hello, second wind. "Oh my gosh!" you exclaimed darting forward to seize the hands of the blue-scaled, red-haired divine being before you. "You are absolutely beautiful! I need you to know that!" You informed her as a purple hue spread across her scales. You actually squealed as she became even cuter, and told her so. Lizard-lady swatted your hands away possessively. Internally you sighed a bit before turning to her. "I'm not trying to steal your girlfriend." You informed her.

Both of them blushed and looked away from you. It was true. As much as you might like that, you certainly didn't know her well enough for a relationship. Not to mention, anyone in a relationship was someone you wouldn't touch with a ten-foot pole romantically. Platonically, yes. Romantically, no.

"I…I-I'm really no-not…" The divine aquatic woman stuttered, probably in response to your over-exuberant compliments.

You couldn't let that stand. "Yes. Yes, indeed you are. You are totally the most beautiful person I've ever seen. Don't you dare say otherwise." You told her forcefully.

She let out a squeak and hid her face in her hands, but she didn't argue again.

Lizard-lady cut in, perhaps to save her significant other from overheating. "I don't think we've been introduced, Punk. I'm Alphys. This is Undyne."

"_. You're cute together." You waved at the possessive way Alphys had wrapped a muscular arm around Undyne's waist.

Papyrus cleared his non-existent throat behind you, interrupting your overbearing greeting and introduction. You caught the exasperated looks of the humans on the sidewalk around you as you turned to face him and The Magnificent Sans, who was wearing a grin a mile wide.

Undyne wasn't quite sure what to make of you. That morning had been chaos once you'd woken up. She wasn't even sure if you'd known she had been present at the time. Your sleep had been so peaceful up until that shrill alarm had gone off. It was even quiet for a moment after you woke up.

Then you seemed to suddenly realize something, and you had become a terrifying flurry of activity that your body didn't seem to appreciate. Even now, at noon, your nose still looked a bit red from that faceplant as you snuggled into what seemed quite obviously to be a monster.

Was this oddness consensual? The fire elemental seemed a bit uncomfortable, but Undyne supposed she could easily remedy the situation were you truly bothering her.

Papyrus tried to interrupt you, startling the elemental into turning colors from embarrassment, but you ignored him, tightening your grip. After a moment, the monster pulled away, and you let her. She leaned forward to hiss something in your ear before stalking off, you watching her go almost adoringly.

In the next moment, Undyne was convinced that you hadn't seen her this morning. You turned to view their group, eyes landing on all of them individually, recognition lighting behind them until you got to her. Something very different lit up behind your bright orbs in that moment and it took your compliments to inform her as to what it was.

Attraction. You were…a-attracted to her. Alphys swatted your hands away protectively, and that light vanished as you realized. You assured her that you had no intention of interfering in the relationship, and for a split second, all of them could see the cobalt of your soul shining through.

Integrity.


	3. Acquaintances?

"I totally need savory right now. Not sweet." You mumbled, eyeing Muffet's many pastries. Too much sugar would give you a rush and, as little sleep as you'd had, you would crash all the way to passing out.

Somehow, The Magnificent Sans had heard you, and proceeded to list off everything that Muffet made that wasn't jam-packed with sugar. Was that a pun? You smiled in spite of yourself. Apparently, The Magnificent Sans approved of your decision to eat healthy food, despite the temptation.

You were staring absently at the drinks menu when the spider lady herself came to the counter. Papyrus immediately engaged her in conversation. She was certainly pretty. Fuku's description had certainly done the spider monster justice, and suddenly you found yourself wondering if she came in for more than just the food. Speaking of food…

Hmmm. A chai tea latte sounded great just then. _Scrambled egg muffins or cheese croissants?_ You found yourself staring through the glass displays at both savory treats. When had you wandered over?

Alphys had apparently wandered with you, to point out the croissant she wanted to the baker. Apparently, the group was ordering, and you hadn't quite decided which you wanted to eat yet.

"See something you like, Dearie?" Muffet's sweet voice interrupted you.

"Absolutely." You responded immediately. "But the problem is there's more than one. I mean, I could maybe eat both…" you mused.

"GET WHATEVER YOU LIKE, HUMAN! MISS MUFFET'S PASTRIES ARE VERY REASONABLY PRICED." The Magnificent Sans ordered. So, you did. You told the monster your drink order and pointed to the two foods you couldn't decide between. Undyne was the last to order.

Clearly not liking having been the last to speak, Undyne was wringing her hands next to you nervously. "My friend Fuku comes in here all the time." You informed her absently, noticing Muffet's sudden interest in the conversation. There was definitely something going on there. "It's honestly a bit surprising I haven't been yet, considering. You saw her outside." Undyne seemed to calm a bit as the attention shifted to you. She sent you a grateful look, knowing what you were doing.

"you seemed quite close." Papyrus commented dryly.

Why did you do this to yourself? Oh well. Fuku was an easy subject to talk about. "Heck yeah. Fuku's awesomesauce. I met her at work, then we discovered we have classes together. We've been friends for…two years now? I think that's right."

"Where d'ya work, Punk?" Alphys interrogated from her spot leaning on the counter. Opening your mouth to answer, you were interrupted by the delivery of your group's orders. Sufficiently distracted, the five of you went to sit at a booth and divvy your spoils.

Both of your treats were amazing. You thanked Papyrus profusely for buying them. He didn't respond to it. The Magnificent Sans told you not to worry about it instead.

Chatter resumed after that. You told them the basics about yourself: how you worked as a waitress at Grillby's, that you were working towards a liberal arts degree at the moment, and when Alphys prompted, your single relationship status. Between the four of them, they had a lot of random questions, but none were invasive. You answered them all with your usual blunt honesty.

In return, you learned that Alphys and Undyne were, in fact, engaged. Papyrus and The Magnificent Sans were, like you, not tied down to anyone. Undyne was the royal scientist for the monsters, Alphys was the captain of the royal guard, Papyrus apparently worked four or five minimum wage jobs, and The Magnificent Sans was having trouble getting hired. You informed him that the campus bookstore was hiring at the moment, if he wanted to apply.

Alphys was, unsurprisingly, still a bit guarded regarding you. You didn't hold it against her; humans could be serious buttholes. You knew full well the troubles monsters had been put through, some on a personal level.

Undyne seemed to like you, but definitely had social anxiety. You were fine with that. Everyone needed _some_ time to get used to people. If she needed you to take it slow, you could do that. Many of your friends when you were younger had been that way.

Papyrus…you weren't too sure about. He barely talked to you at all, except for an occasional offhand remark. You got the feeling that he disliked you, despite– or perhaps because of- his brother's enthusiasm regarding you. You guessed he had just as much reason as anyone to distrust humans.

The Magnificent Sans definitely liked you. You wished everyone could be that open all the time. It certainly made it easy to know where you stood. Several people hated the fact you were so open about your own feelings toward people -positive or negative- so you were glad The Magnificent Sans had managed to retain it.

A quick glance at your phone told you it was nearing your shift. You groaned. It hadn't occurred to you just how long you'd all been talking. So much for chilling at the park, dozing under the warm spring sun.

Bony phalanges plucked your flip-phone from your grip as you were getting up. "WOWIE, YOU DON'T HAVE A LOT OF CONTACTS IN HERE, HUMAN FRIEND. DON'T WORRY! I, THE MAGNIFICENT SANS, SHALL REMEDY THIS SITUATION BY ADDING OUR NUMBERS!" You couldn't keep the goofy grin off your face as he typed in concentration.

Since you'd gotten the new phone, you hadn't entered anyone into it. After all, the only four numbers you needed to know were stored quite well in your own memory. Maybe, if you were going to have contacts in your phonebook anyway, you would finally enter them.

"Thanks, The Magnificent Sans." You told him absently when he gave your cell back. Turning to address the rest of the group, "I've got to get to work. Shoot me a text sometime." _I hope._ You rattled off your own number quickly then, from memory, before meandering out of the door and down the street. If they hadn't caught it, then they could get it from Papyrus.

* * *

It was clear from the moment you walked in the door at the bar that Fuku had ratted you out to her dad. Grillby fixed you with a heck of a glare as you sidled by into the back to change into your uniform. While in the beginning he'd been quite a difficult boss, since you happened to be best friends with his daughter he took your wellbeing seriously. Very seriously.

There was no way you'd get away without a lecture or three.

Though you weren't entirely sure you would be conscious for them. Four hours into your shift, you were definitely feeling the lack of sleep. Against your better judgement, you reached in to grab your magic and strengthen the thread that was sustaining you. _Just for a little while,_ you told yourself.

Grillby had scheduled you to work until eight, and your last hour of work was dragging so hard, you were sure someone somewhere was messing with the laws of time.

Unexpectedly, Alphys entered the bar, surrounded by a usual assortment of monster dogs. You glanced at the clock. Exactly seven-thirty. Quickly, you led them to their usual table, shooting a questioning glance at Alphys when she didn't follow. Wasn't here for poker then.

"Hey guys. Usual orders?" You inquired politely, already knowing the answer. You could feel Alphys's eyes burning holes into your back as you shifted your weight from one foot to the other so Doggo could see you.

All of them agreed to their usual orders and you dragged a pre-written slip from the back of your pad and slipped it to the flames in the kitchen before turning to seat the intimidating warrior-lizard.

"Why'd you help him?" She demanded when you tried to get her drink order.

"Why wouldn't I?" you countered simply.

Alphys sputtered for an instant before glaring at you so hard, you were relatively sure you'd bruise and you knew for certain _that_ wasn't possible. "I'm sure thousands of humans have a very quick answer to that question. I haven't seen one yet, save Chara, who would help a monster for nothing."

"It wasn't for nothing." You responded as simply as before. "It made me feel better. And since then, I certainly feel as if it's given me much more than I should have gotten out of it."

"So, what? You helped him so you wouldn't feel rotten?" she accused.

"Well, yes. That's exactly what I did." You responded honestly. _Doing something for yourself doesn't mean you're the only one who benefits._

Alphys didn't seem to have a response to that, so you took her drink order and handed her a menu. Grillby raised a flaming brow at you in inquiry, probably having heard the conversation. You decided not to respond. You were still trying to get _out_ of the lectures, not get another one.

Fuku came in at promptly ten minutes to eight, shooting a questioning glance at the new lizard customer. Sweet. That meant you could change and go home, maybe even before Grillby caught you. You tended to your tables one last time before ducking into the back room with Fuku.

"I've got tomorrow off." You informed her. "Girl talk?" She quickly agreed, sending you an appraising look. "Yeah, I know." She was still upset with you. You rubbed your eyes tiredly after letting your hair fall down.

You couldn't hold back a yawn as you undressed yourself, belatedly realizing that with you and Fuku changing at the same time, Grillby was the only one in the main bar. Hopefully he wouldn't be upset. You really needed some sleep.

Unexpectedly, Fuku changed more quickly than you'd ever seen her do so, and a moment later you understood why as Grillby ducked into the back room to lecture you.

And he did so righteously. Everything from the dangers of wandering from well-lit paths at night, to using magic on strangers, to using so much magic while tired that you couldn't even get yourself home. He went on to grill you about the proper amount of rest as you yawned and the fact that you could have just used a sick day if you were so tired, and that you probably should have done so.

You nodded and apologized at the appropriate moments. Finally, probably noticing that you were, indeed, quite tired, Grillby showed you mercy.

Unlike the night before, you got to your dorm with no interruptions, despite it being an earlier hour. You slipped into your pajamas, not even bothering to flick your light on. Slipping the lock firmly into place, you allowed yourself to fall into bed.

You grabbed the thread of magic that you'd been using to keep yourself going. You realized as you cut it off that you'd used much more magic than intended. Hopefully Fuku wouldn't be too upset tomorrow when she couldn't' wake you up.

Scratch that. She'd definitely be upset. Just like you would if she had worked herself into the same state.

* * *

Alphys wasn't sure what to feel about you. Over lunch you'd been cordial. Even she couldn't ignore what that easy view of your soul meant. But humans had hurt the people she cared about too many times.

She decided to go to Grillby's. She knew that the Canine Unit played poker here sometimes, so she wasn't quite surprised to see you easily seat them at the large round table and pull a deck of waterproof cards out for them. Alphys wasn't even surprised that you had a pre-written order for them ready.

Nothing about you surprised her until that stupid answer to her question. Humans weren't supposed to admit to being selfish! They were supposed to deny it and then she could continue being cautious and suspicious because everyone all around knew it was a lie.

She hadn't ordered by the time you followed that fire elemental to the back. Grillby moved from the bar quickly when his daughter remerged from the back in uniform. The girl checked on the orders quickly before heading over to Alphys.

"I see you haven't ordered food yet. Is there anything I can get for you?" She inquired too politely over the stern voice of the bartender wafting from the back.

"Just a burger and fries. That human…" Alphys started.

"A burger and fries, coming up." Fuku stated cheerfully before her voice lowered. "_ is our friend, and, despite anything you may think of humans, she deserves it." The elemental informed her in a dangerous tone.

Even from across the room, Fuku shot Alphys a glare as you exited the back and headed for the door, wishing the patrons good night before ducking out and heading home.

Alphys considered the interaction. There's no way a bad human could inspire such loyalty in monsters, any monsters, after all they'd been through. That didn't mean she trusted you though.


	4. Storge Love

Fuku was waiting for you when you finally woke up. Groggily, you noted her form sitting on the foot of your bed reading a book as soon as your eyes opened again.

"It's four in the afternoon." She informed you, painstakingly calm as she absently flipped the page. You winced. "Assuming you went to sleep right when you got home, that means you slept for nearly _twenty hours_. How in the world did you get so drained that you needed that much sleep?"

As much as you'd love to answer, your voice hadn't decided it was time to work yet. Instead you dragged yourself out of your covers and pulled your right leg up to investigate the cobalt mage-mark on your ankle.

Mage-marks were a curious universal constant. Humans with magic had them from birth, an easy identifier. Once the mage in question specialized in a particular type of magic, it would take on a symbol for the specialization. It was most often the same color as the magic of the user, brightening and darkening depending on how full the mage's reserves were.

The swirly heart surrounding a small sprout symbolizing your life magic was actively glowing, indicating that your reserves were filled to overflowing. Around it was tattooed seven black stars, showing your level of mastery. It was quite a few for your age, but you had specialized very early.

It was a nice way to be able to check how much magic you had without sinking into yourself.

Once your voice decided to work again, you finally answered your friends, "I was _tired_. So, I kind of…"

Fuku's glare made you trail off. She knew exactly what you could do with your magic, and made no effort to hide her disapproval when you used it that way. "And does it never occur to you to _sleep_ when you're tired? You used a lot of magic healing Sans. Why couldn't you just admit you needed the rest?"

"I _did_ admit that. But school's an obligation I can't just ignore. Then I was offered free lunch and, while I definitely required sleep, I needed food too. Besides, I like them. You keep telling me I need more friends. As for work…yeah. I should have called in. But I didn't want to do that to Grillby. It's rough being the only person working, and it was only a half-shift. I thought I could handle it."

Fuku had, thankfully, stopped glaring at you during your explanation. She nodded, knowing you were properly chastised. "We also need to talk about that. Be careful around them. All four monsters you met for lunch yesterday are quite a big deal, and they all know all too well the less than savory side to humans."

You shrugged, tugging on a cute tee and some ankle jeans. "You know full well that I'm well aware of that less-than-savory-side of humanity. I can't blame them for being cautious."

"They could kill you." She whispered. "They certainly won't trust you."

"I suppose. But quite a few people could decide to kill me at any time. Probably because they dislike something I've said." You sighed. "These past five years haven't been easy on you guys, have they?" You began to yank a brush through your hair, pondering how to put it up. "I wish I could help more than I do. It's upsetting. But I'm really not…"

"You weren't even a legal adult until after we had basic rights." She reminded you. "You've done more than you know just by being around. Being you. Besides, politics doesn't suit you at all," she finished with a teasing chuckle.

"Being friendly on a small scale hardly helps in the large one." You retorted. "Besides, I'm not even overly friendly. I just don't think it's right to judge someone based on appearance alone." You pulled your hair back into a ponytail before braiding it to keep your neck cool. "On a happier note, I promised today to you. What do you want to do with what's left of it?"

* * *

The two of you had gone out to get pizza, then spent the rest of the evening binge watching movies at Grillby's place. It occurred to you, vaguely, that after the semester was over, you'd have to find a place of your own. Third-year students and on weren't guaranteed dorm rooms.

Besides, with all things considered, you probably weren't leaving Ebbott. You'd made that decision a while ago, when you'd decided to support monsters. As a mage so loudly declaring the belief that monsters were just as much "people" as humans were, you'd sealed your fate.

Hopefully, you could get away with Fuku never truly realizing what you'd gotten yourself into. Sometimes you doubted it would stay quiet, but if it came out, then it did. You weren't going to lie about it.

But it rarely came up in any way that would actually affect your day-to-day life. Fuku had no reason to question it, and you had no reason to bring it up. Just like you were fine not telling anyone who didn't ask about your magic. You wouldn't lie, but some things didn't need to be shared so openly.

You were mildly surprised when, upon musing the arising need for a home aloud, Fuku shot a shocked look at you. " _You? You_ want someplace permanent to stay? Are we talking about the same _? You haven't even made your dorm look mildly lived in."

"A dorm isn't exactly a permanent home Fuku. You don't even get it for a year. But, yes, I need an apartment or a duplex or something. I've still got school here, and I don't intend to ditch my job at the bar either. I probably won't leave after school either." You mused aloud. Fuku shot you a questioning glance.

"Why not look together?" Your hand jerked, sloshing your drink as your best friend made the suggestion. "I've been meaning to get out of Dad's place for a bit now."

You mulled it over. It was lonely in your dorm by yourself, and an apartment would likely be the same, so living with Fuku would fix that problem. However, those problems you'd been contemplating earlier would certainly be harder to keep from her notice.

Splitting the bills would be beneficial to both of you, though, and it was much better than getting an unknown roommate. Some humans in the area may not take well to it though, and that could put you both in danger. _More_ danger, anyways. But at the same time, you would be there to protect and help each other…

"That sounds great." You told her, deciding that the growing list of pros would almost definitely outweigh any cons.

Anyone who didn't know you well would probably question how certain you were of your answer. Your deliberation time was always much shorter than they would deem appropriate. Fuku knew better. Just because the response was quick didn't mean it wasn't properly thought out. She nodded. "I'll let Dad know. He's been helping me, but I suppose I need to look for a bigger place now."

" _We_ need to look for a bigger one, silly." You corrected before unmuting the television so the two of you could go back to watching. _It isn't something either of us has to do alone._

* * *

Grillby had known that you were over, spending time with his daughter. Still, nothing could have prepared him for the sheer cuteness of the scene he walked in on when he finally came up from the bar. Smiling, he brought up his cell to snap a quick picture.

Fuku and you seemed to have made a pillow fort, and were cuddling quite comfortably in it as you both snoozed, ignoring the cartoon playing on the television in the background. Fuku had one fiery arm thrown haphazardly over you as you tangled your legs into hers, blanket bundled and thrown to the side, unnecessary under the conditions presented.

Before you, Fuku had never been close with anyone in particular. The idea that even a momentary lapse in care could cause pain and severe burning kept most people at a respectful distance from fire elementals. Grillby had never seen an exception to this.

Until you came along. It didn't even seem to occur to you that burns were a thing that existed. Never once, even at the beginning, had you shied away from touching either him or Fuku. When he'd finally asked you about it, you had responded in that too blunt way of yours, "Oh, you can burn people? That must be useful if someone attacks you." and dropped it.

Watching Fuku open up to you was like watching a flower blossom in spring; absolutely beautiful and inspiring. Then they discovered the magic you had never really hidden.

Mages had, once upon a time, locked them underground. He had almost fired you when he found out you were one. His own memory of mages was none too pleasant, after all. He'd been alive back when they'd locked the monsters up.

But he knew you. He'd seen who you were, gotten more than one glimpse into your soul. It was something that had surprised him at first. But you were an open person who wore her proverbial heart on her sleeve. Occasional glimpses of your soul were almost commonplace to him now.

It was perhaps the best decision of his life to keep you around.


	5. Knees Are Effective Weapons

With the end of the school year fast approaching, you were unsurprised to find yourself being called into the counselor's office.

It wasn't unusual for people to question what you went to school for. You gazed at the school counselor evenly as she argued. "I don't understand why you're not going to school to be a doctor. We have the pre-med program here."

"Because I don't want to be one." You answered simply, linking your fingers.

"Of course you do, or you wouldn't have specialized in healing magic. This sort of fuss is recognizable. You're rebelling. I have to point out that it isn't the best for your future."

You remained silent as she ranted. If you let her get it out of her system, she probably wouldn't lecture you again. How would she know the circumstances of your specialization? How could she know how much you hated clinics and hospitals? How could she realize that your magic _didn't work that way_?

She wasn't a mage.

So you sat, and listened, and nodded, and waited. You internally wondered why they couldn't have a counselor who was a mage specifically for the students with magic. It seemed a much more effective system.

At the end of the session you left a very frustrated counselor behind you holding completed paperwork for your continued liberal arts studies.

Fuku was waiting for you, along with the last people you were expecting. Alphys and Undyne stood, awkwardly chatting with your best friend. They turned as you approached. "That was a rant." Fuku commented. "We could hear it out here."

"She disapproves of my chosen course of study." You explained to the two still confused monsters. "Apparently Liberal Arts isn't very good for my future."

"Why? Isn't that something you choose for yourself, Punk?" Alphys questioned.

"It's supposed to be, yes." Fuku cut in. "The school thinks _ is not quite living up to her potential. She often has to come in and explain that she does, indeed, want to continue her current course of study."

"Were you guys planning something?" You interrupted before they could question what, exactly, the college wanted you to switch to and why.

The three monster women shared a look. Surprisingly, it was Undyne who spoke up, "W-we wondered if you w-wanted to go sh-shopping. S-sorry, no S-sans or Pa-papyrus. Just u-us girls." The large grin that broke out on your face answered for you.

* * *

Ebott Mall was a large place, comparative to the mall in your hometown. Three separate floors covered in every shop humanity could imagine. A few even belonged to monsters now.

People gave your group a wide berth as you entered. Ignoring this, you walked up to the map. "Fuku's favorite place to shop is always the Hallmark store, so how about we start there and browse the trinkets? Then we can go hit up the bridal shops for you two." You suggested, pointing.

Both of the other monsters paused for a moment. "What's _your_ favorite, Punk?"

"Bath and Body Works." Fuku answered for you. "She'll spend two hours smelling everything in the store."

"They all smell good!" _It isn't as if you don't have just as much fun._ You protested as the three monster women laughed.

It was a quick jaunt to the aforementioned store. Undyne hid herself amidst the aisles of cards as Fuku paused to look at the -why were they even out at this time of year?- Christmas ornaments. You made a beeline straight to the back to smell the countless candles as Alphys looked at the decorative kitchen utensils.

It was mildly confusing to you, the stark contrast in Fuku's demeanor now opposed to the warning she'd given you regarding your new potential friends before. Still, you doubted Fuku was hiding anything from you. She was probably tagging along to make sure you stayed out of trouble.

It was surprising you noticed at all, lost in amazing smells as you were in the back of the store, but once your magic reacted, warning you of impending danger, there was no ignoring it. Several people had passed the front of the store, but a group of six just kept walking by.

Every time, they looked in at your friends with disgust.

You started your way toward Fuku at the front of the shop, hoping to leave before something started, just as they passed again. The six offenders looked like high schoolers. A couple of them were standing back by the entrance, but you weren't sure if that's because they disapproved or if it was to keep any of you from leaving. This time, you recognized the looks on their faces. They were going to hurt someone. You immediately changed direction, yanking Undyne behind you just as the first punk took a swing at her.

The startled cry she let out at the sudden movement drew the attention of your other companions, but it was definitely better than if she'd just been decked. The sneer on the front teenager's face made you vaguely regret never taking self-defense lessons. You stepped more squarely in front of Undyne, hoping she would back up a bit on her own.

"What do you think you're doing?" You demanded, knowing silence wasn't going to accomplish anything. Not that any reasoning could be done with stubborn high schoolers on a mean streak…

The second one was smirking now, the only warning you had before he threw a punch straight at you. You blocked it with all the defensive skills honed from elementary school dodgeball, which wasn't a lot, but it did manage to throw him off balance.

"Hey, punks!" Your gaze swiveled to Alphys out of reflex, used to her calling you that. The lizard-woman stood behind the teenagers, quite intimidating holding that large axe. Next to her stood a very pissed off fire elemental.

Your lack of attention cost you, as the first one went to attack you again. The flinch probably saved your eye, but it still hurt as the fist connected with your cheek. That would definitely bruise.

Without even realizing what you were doing, your leg swept out in front of you, years of yoga flexibility lending to your altitude as you literally kicked your offender in the face. In the meantime, Alphys had swept two of them into a chokehold with her axe and Fuku had dropped the second one.

A quick glance at the door told you that the other two had ditched. Your gaze quickly shifted to the boy holding the nose you'd kicked in front of you. He was recovering quickly enough, which was bad for you since you weren't a good fighter.

He grabbed you roughly by the shoulders and you did the only thing you could think of as he snarled into your face: you rammed your knee up as hard as you were able. The expressions that crossed his face in that moment were quite interesting, to be honest, before he made a high-pitched whining noise and rolled away from you onto the floor clutching his nether region.

The threat negated, you allowed your hand to come up to your aching cheek. Touching it with any pressure cause you to wince as a sharp pain shot through your nerves.

You hated pain. You hated yourself for causing it. Was it okay to have done so? They had tried to hurt others much more than you had tried to hurt them. Did that mean you had done a good thing by preventing them from doing so?

You became vaguely aware of a hand clutching the back of your shirt as men in security uniforms dashed onto the scene. It stopped your growing desire to heal the hurt teens in its tracks. Undyne was anxious. Hell, you were too.

What followed was two hours of questioning and accusation, despite the security tapes showing quite clearly who was at fault. It was two hours you would have, admittedly, preferred to be smelling things in Bath and Body Works. About thirty minutes in, Alphys stepped out to make a phone call, but nothing else broke up the monotony of answering the same questions repeatedly. Not even the growing ache in your face from being punched.

Until it did. In the middle of asking you _again_ how the boys had come into the store and if you were _sure_ they meant harm, a large white monster, the Magnificent Sans, and a professionally dressed human swept into the room. There was probably nobody in the world who wouldn't recognize who this regal, goat like monster was.

Queen Toriel.

The human shooed you and your friends from the room as the monarch turned her ire onto the security staff. "Lawyers." Alphys muttered under her breath, irritated, as The Magnificent Sans followed the four of you out into the hallway.

That explained quite a bit. "At least we don't have to keep answering stupid questions about a fight they're trying to pin on us even though they know it's those kids' fault." You hissed grumpily.

"IF THEY ARE STILL QUESTIONING IT, ARE YOU SURE THEY KNOW THAT THEY ARE TO BLAME?" The Magnificent Sans inquired.

"I…I can usually tell when someone's lying to me." You answered vaguely, more than aware of your present company. The Magnificent Sans nodded at you, understanding. "Sorry guys. If I'd noticed sooner, maybe this all wouldn't have happened."

Undyne and Alphys gaped at you openly as Fuku moved to rub your back. "It's hardly your fault, _. We could have noticed too." **You aren't the only one whose magic warned them** went unsaid, but you still understood that she meant it.

"THE ONES AT FAULT ARE THE ONES THAT ATTACKED YOU. THERE'S NO NEED TO TRY TO ASSIGN BLAME TO YOURSELF." The Magnificent Sans pointed out. "ANY WAY YOU LOOK AT IT, ACCORDING TO THE LEGAL SYSTEM: SELF-DEFENSE IS COMPLETELY LEGAL. MR. LEE IS GOOD AT HIS JOB." He patted your arm comfortingly.

"Gotta admit, Punk," Alphys began, "that was one hell of a kick. Didn't know humans could bend that way. I always thought the chest was your height limit."

You're certain your face turned beet red. Apparently, you'd accidently been a badass. Rubbing the back of your neck, you replied, "Not many humans can, as far as I know. It takes years of practice to get that flexibility."

"THAT'S AMAZING, HUMAN _. ALTHOUGH, YOUR GENERAL FIGHTING TECHNIQUE COULD USE SOME WORK." The Magnificent Sans critiqued. "YOU DEFINITELY TOOK A HIT THAT COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED." He inspected the darkening bruise on your face with an intense expression that you couldn't name.

"I never learned how to fight, so I don't doubt that." You replied, earning three dumbfounded stares from the three monsters that hadn't known you long. "I kind of regret it now."

"THAT'S OKAY, HUMAN _! IT CERTAINLY ISN'T TOO LATE FOR YOU TO LEARN. AS LONG AS YOU'RE ALIVE, IT'S NEVER TOO LATE TO LEARN!"

"Ah. I'm…not so sure…" You replied quietly. "Hurting people isn't…really…"

"BUT YOU CAN STOP PEOPLE FROM GETTING HURT IN THE FIRST PLACE, YOURSELF INCLUDED." The Magnificent Sans argued. "NONE OF US WANT TO SEE _YOU_ HURT EITHER." You're certain your face resembled an apple at that moment, it was so warm from the blush.

Undyne stepped toward you, hesitating before covering your hand with her own. "Th-thank you f-for pro-protecting me, even th-though y-you got hu-hurt." Rather than answering, you simply shot her a smile so large it made your bruised cheekbone hurt.

* * *

Toriel was more than a little unhappy to hear what was going on from Alphys and got her lawyer on the phone as quickly as she could. An hour later she arrived at mall security, Mr. Lee and Sans from the royal guard by her side reviewing security tapes.

Every angle showed her the same thing. You, whoever you were, noticed something odd and began walking to the front of the store. As the four young humans walked in, your eyes skimmed them quickly before you suddenly changed direction to intercept their attempt to harm her royal scientist.

This got the attention of the other two, who moved to defensive action. Your guard was clumsy, but effective enough to get the boy to stumble back into the fire elemental, who wrestled him to the ground easily. For some reason, your gaze was drawn away momentarily and the one who'd initiated the whole thing landed a hit on you.

Her royal guard captain used magic to summon an axe and capture two of them as, in response to being hit, you kicked your offender in the face. You glanced at the entrance as if you expected someone to be there, before your aggressor grabbed you and you swiftly ended the conflict.

How could anyone even try to accuse her people of causing this? Mr. Lee scoffed beside her, asking the same question aloud.

Toriel's gaze was drawn to you as she forced open the door to the impromptu interrogation room. Who were you, and why were some of her most respected advisors close to you? Recognition lit behind your eyes immediately and you respectfully dropped your gaze. Glancing down, she noticed even Alphys's second, Sans, knew you as he escorted the four of you from the room.

Perhaps, Toriel mused, after this, she would get to know you. You seemed like a good human, and in this fight, Toriel needed as many allies as she could get. But, returning to the task at hand…


	6. Game Night is for Friends, Right?

Alphys almost scared you as she worked on setting up a self-defense training schedule for you. You knew she took it seriously, but when it concerned _you_? You weren't sure whether or not she cared enough, considering you doubted that she trusted you at all. Liked you, maybe. Trusted you? Nope.

She had progressed to scribbling on a sheet of paper, asking if there were any days you were unavailable. "Nah. Besides school and work, I rarely have anything I'm doing. Not never, but definitely rarely." You replied.

"So, if you're not busy, you can go to dinner next week, Punk. Toriel said she'd like you to come." Alphys informed you, smiling mischievously.

"I could have sworn you just told me the queen invited me to dinner." You gaped at Alphys, ignoring the dice you'd just dropped into the middle of the table.

"PARK PLACE! PAY UP, HUMAN." Sans insisted triumphantly. "AND ACTUALLY, IT WAS TECHNICALLY KING ASGORE WHO INVITED YOU. WHY IS THAT SO SURPRISING?"

Thankfully you were $9000 monopoly dollars ahead, so that didn't do as much damage to your fake bank account as Sans had been hoping. "Because it's completely abnormal to be invited to dinner by _any_ monarch if you're just an ordinary person." You replied, handing over a cringeworthy amount of fake money.

Sans sent you an odd look that you couldn't quite interpret. "BUT YOU ARE NOT AN ORDINARY PERSON, HUMAN _."

"What is _that_ supposed to mean?" you inquired as Sans tossed the dice. "Pacific Avenue with a hotel. Gimme my money back, Sans."

Not two hours before, when he had loudly invited you to board game night Sans had insisted that you leave off the Magnificent part. "CLOSE FRIENDS CALL EACH OTHER INFORMALLY." Was the only reason he'd given for the change. The dusting of blue that crossed his cheeks at that moment confounded you. It must have been magic.

"YOU ARE FRIENDS WITH MONSTERS. NOT MANY HUMANS ARE, EVEN NOW. YOU'VE HELPED US MORE THAN ONCE TOO." He replied to your question, handing you back your lost funds. "AND…" he trailed off, but the meaning was clear. It wouldn't have been difficult for the queen to discover you were a mage, regardless of how inactive you were as one. You _were_ in the government databases, and highly ranked at that from back in your academy days.

After all, anyone with enough power to reattach missing limbs was definitely kept tabs on, whether they were dangerous or not.

"Why are you two so good at this game?" Alphys questioned, walking away toward the kitchen to refill her drink. "It's been two hours." She, Papyrus, and Undyne had already been knocked out of the game. Though, Alphys had taken it as an opportunity to hound you about self-defense training.

Your sudden extended silence seemed to have unnerved Undyne, who was still intently watching the game. The dice fell limply from your hand. "What do you even wear to a dinner with royalty?" You asked her, hoping to relieve some of her sudden tension.

Alphys barked out a laugh from the doorway. "Wear what you usually do, Punk. It isn't like you dress poorly." She shot an irritated glance at the table. "And finish up so we can move on to Trouble! You guys are taking far too long!"

With a small smile you stood from your seat and bowed extravagantly to Sans, sitting perplexed across from you. "I concede to you this match." Even Papyrus, hiding in the corner, smiled at the funny scene you were presenting.

It was two games later when you all stopped for dinner. Sans made tacos, something everyone said was something he made all the time. You figured it was all the practice that made him so good at them. The meat was perfectly browned and well-seasoned, in a way that made it flavorful rather than spicy. He homemade the sauce, and it blended well, accenting the flavors of the meat and fillings well.

His face did that odd blue thing again when you told him so, and he quickly went back to the kitchen for some reason. "didn't know you were so knowledgeable about food." Papyrus commented. Glancing at him, you realized he was trying to distract you.

"I suppose. Not really though. Just what you pick up from eating food all your life." You responded. "I haven't cooked in quite a while. Our dorms don't have kitchens. Even when I move, Fuku is much better at it than I am."

Undyne dropped her fork. "You're mo-moving? A-away?" You almost let yourself feel flattered that she sounded sad about it.

It hadn't come up before. "No, not away. Third-year students aren't guaranteed dorm rooms anymore. Once the semester is over, I'll need a place to stay, so we're looking."

" _We?_ " Alphys questioned. Hadn't you just mentioned who you were planning to move in with? Still, they all seemed confused so you repeated her name. The three monsters at the table shared a troubled glance. "You're moving in with a monster, Punk?"

"I'm moving in with _Fuku_ , yes. Once we find a place, anyways. Grillby is helping us look." Oh, look at that. Sans had returned, face white as normal. "We aren't too sure about apartments though. That seems like inviting a bit too much trouble."

Sans glanced around as he sat back down. "WHAT DID I MISS?"

"_ i-is moving a-after the sem-semester ends. I-in with Fu-fuku." Undyne informed him.

Sans gaze found you again so quickly, you wondered if skeletons could get whiplash. "IS THAT SAFE?" He demanded.

"Is that what you're all worried about?" Suddenly their hesitance made sense. Of course, the two of you had discussed the possible danger you could attract. You'd even spoken about it at length with Grillby. "Yes, we're aware."

"And you still asked her?" Alphys accused. Of course. You were, by default, to blame.

"Although I'm not sure it matters who asked who so long as it's a mutual agreement, Fuku asked me. We talked about it, and got Grillby in on the conversation before we agreed on it. And we're looking for safer neighborhoods." _We aren't stupid. There's no way in Hell I'd intentionally put Fuku in danger._

Despite the fact you hadn't said the last bit, all four monsters at the table seemed to wait for the thought to be finished before they responded. It was almost as though they'd heard it.

"H-have you th-thought a-about monster nei-neighborhoods?" Undyne inquired. It was amazing how politely she came across.

"We're looking at them too." _The only issue is what keeps one of us safe puts the other in more danger._ You added again, mentally rolling your eyes at the stupidity of the situation. "How's about Uno after dinner?"

They got the hint. "UNO SOUNDS LIKE A LOT OF FUN, HUMAN _. ARE YOU CONFIDENT IN YOUR UNO SKILLS?"

"Be prepared." You warned him. "Once cards are on the table, I win."

"Bring it, Punk!" Alphys shouted, grin widening at your obvious challenge.

You won. You won Uno, Phase 10, Go Fish, Gin Rummy, Egyptian Ratscrew, Spoons, and Old Maid. After the last game, Papyrus snatched the cards away before Alphys could rip them to pieces. The guard captain had to go outside to rage after your inexplicable winning streak.

"YOU WERE NOT JOKING WHEN YOU SAID YOU WOULD WIN. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST A CHALLENGE." Sans noted.

"Well, essentially it was. I've been playing cards since I can remember. It isn't that I'm unbeatable. I still lose to my Grandmother at cribbage about a third of the time. I'm just…good. Too bad card games aren't seen in the same vein as chess."

"HOW ARE YOU AT CHESS?" he asked, suddenly interested.

It was with a wry smile that you responded, just as Alphys walked back in, "I always lose at chess."

"Aha! I challenge you to chess!" She shouted.

You smiled. "Next time. It's late and I have homework due Monday. Thanks for having me over guys. I love your place Alphys." You hadn't brought anything, so there was nothing for you to grab on your trek to the door.

"I CAN WALK YOU HOME." Sans offered, trailing behind you.

Hoo boy. Images of how you first met flashed through your head as you turned back to him. "Nah, it's okay. I'm safer on the streets by myself than you are." His face fell, and you winced. It may have been true, but that didn't necessarily make it less offensive.

You were tempted, when he turned that pout on you, to let him come. You shook your head, steeling your resolve. You wished them all a good night before slipping out of the door, closing it firmly behind you.

* * *

Papyrus watched you leave, still guarded. You weren't the first human to try and befriend them, and clearly none of those others were still around. No matter how honest you were, or how much you projected, he wasn't going to trust you. Humans could change. _Would_ change. And it was never in their favor.

And boy did you ever project a lot. You didn't even seem aware that you were doing it, either. He'd heard of humans who wore their hearts on their sleeves, but you were just ridiculous. They'd had to be careful not to respond to any of your too-loud thoughts.

Were you like that before? Or was it just easier to hear them more as they got used to you?

That flashback of his brother, though, confused him. He had been there that night, and Sans had been completely healed. The image you remembered though…Sans was well on his way to dusting. Bruised, cut, beaten, and missing an arm. A can of sea tea would never have fixed that kind of damage.

Were you remembering wrong? Or had something else happened that night?

Something Sans wasn't telling him. He turned his gaze to his brother, unsurprised that Alphys and Undyne were doing so as well. If you had brought him back from that state, it explained some of his loyalty to you. How could you have, though?

"You were in that kind of shape?" Alphys questioned in a low voice. "How in the hell? You were fine when you dragged her back here that night."

Sans flinched, but made no attempt to answer her. Undyne gasped suddenly, as if realizing something. "I-is she…? I-it couldn't b-be…" Sans flinched again before nodding to confirm whatever it was Undyne had realized.

"what?" Papyrus ground out, impatient for such an important answer.

"I-it makes s-so much sense n-now. B-but why n-not ju-just tell u-us?" What? Oh, come on!

"By the stars! What are you two talking about?" Alphys shouted. Papyrus couldn't help but agree with her impatience.

"_, sh-she's a m-m-mage." Papyrus felt his Soul freeze before white-hot fury rose up in him.


	7. Thank You, Adrenaline

You were lamenting your harsh words to Sans as you walked. There must have been a better way to refuse his assistance, or even something you could have said to somewhat patch the damage you'd caused. Nothing came to mind though.

Sometimes, you hated the way your mind worked. You valued the truth, cherished it even. But sometimes, the truth simply didn't need to be said. That wasn't _lying_ , so why did you have so much trouble keeping offensive thoughts to yourself?

A ping on the edge of your magical senses halted your introspection quickly. You cursed your luck as you realized that you were not quite in footwear that was conducive to running. Trying to avoid drawing unnecessary attention, you hid your unease and kept walking without changing pace.

Your phone was in your hand, number already dialed. Jamie wouldn't answer, but that hardly meant anything. You immediately hung up and redialed when it went to voicemail, repeating the process again before slipping your phone back into your pocket. Three times meant trouble.

Another flare in your senses made you turn, despite the fact you hadn't intended to. Whoever it was knew you would avoid any conflict. The chances that they were herding you were pretty high.

It was definitely a good thing you hadn't given in and let Sans come with you.

The biggest problem for you when confronted with unfriendly mages was that you were limited to unspecialized magic for any sort of defense or offense, whereas the other party usually was not. Jamie also probably wouldn't come help unless absolutely necessary, and only if nothing else had his attention.

You needed neutral ground, and quickly. Somewhere that didn't have bystanders or non-mages, because chances were slim that this would play out nicely. Maybe even somewhere where the terrain could work to your advantage.

Too bad outside city limits wouldn't work, since you couldn't leave.

You made an abrupt left, heading in a direction you could tell your pursuers weren't expecting. They didn't wait long after you jumped the fence of the abandoned warehouse. "What have we here?"

You recognized this person. This was one of the teenagers from the mall. The ones who hadn't entered the store. He was a mage, clearly illustrated as a ball of light floated inches above his palm. How had you missed it?

"It's that monster-lover from before." The second one stated from somewhere one your left. There was one more hanging around that you could sense. "Our friends got arrested thanks to you, girlie."

"Good." You spat, trying to calculate which direction from here gave you the best opportunity for escape. Three was more than you had sensed before. You were in real trouble now. "They deserved it."

"I must say, at the time I certainly didn't expect you to be a mage. Why would anyone with magic support the monsters, as much as they set us back?" The first one asked. Rhetorically, you assumed, since he continued without a break in the monologue. "I can't, for the life of me, figure it out. Then again, I'm not sure I want to hear anything a _traitor_ like you has to say."

You cursed internally as the second teen conjured an orb of crackling dark energy. He may not seem to have too much control, but in this instance, that could be devastating. War-mages could cause catastrophic amounts of damage, and you certainly weren't equipped to handle it.

They noticed the backwards step you took. The first one cackled at you, "What? Don't have your friends to protect you this time?" He wished. You were more than happy none of them were present.

You threw a quickly conjured ball of light at the two of them before dashing into the building. It wasn't at all dangerous, but you highly doubted they could easily distinguish that immediately. These _were_ teenagers who went to school where there wasn't an academy.

It turns out you were correct, as it took them precious seconds before following you, dangerous energy ball dispersed. They didn't have the experience needed to quickly determine magic types like you did.

You needed to get to the roof. If you got up there, you could jump to the telephone pole just outside of the fence line and hopefully lose them on the confusing streets beyond. Thankfully, your smaller form allowed you to slip between the large crates and fallen shelves much more easily than your assailants.

If your magic had a voice, it certainly would have been _screaming_ at your stupidity as you approached the too-open stairs. There was no cover from this point on. As it was, all it could do was continuously send you warning pings.

It wasn't wrong, you noted as a sharp pain shot through your side. The pain caused you to falter, slamming too-roughly into the cold, metallic staircase. The holes between the steps, meant to conserve material, proved to be just as dangerous as workers argued, as your arm slipped through one, slicing open from the cut metal. You were lucky; if they'd shot much lower, your ability to run would be seriously impaired.

There hadn't been the noise of a gun being fired. They'd brought a magun. How had they managed to afford that? The magun would condense the user's magic into a small, volatile ball of energy that was undetectable before firing. This also meant that any magun _you_ had ever charged had actually healed the targets. Even if you had one, it wouldn't even your odds at all.

Pushing through, you scrambled back up as quickly as your protesting body would allow. If you moved quickly enough, they wouldn't have time to recharge their weapon.

The war mage blasted all of the obstacles out of the way as you reached the second floor. As they started up after you, you thanked the stars that the magic hadn't backlashed out of control. Easily he could have destroyed the whole building, as well as everyone in it, to include himself.

A second shot flew past your head, searing your cheek as you reached the iron door. They had to have two maguns, because first: that was fire magic and second: this one was a worse shot. Not wasting any more time, you wrenched the door open and flew up the stairs to the roof, slamming the door behind you.

Again, it wouldn't stop them, but it netted you precious seconds. They managed to shoot at you again as you leapt. This one was the good shot too, so the first one. You slammed into the pole much harder than you'd intended, tears springing to your eyes from the sudden pain in your shoulder. You could feel the blood dripping down your skin inside your shirt.

You dropped the last fifteen feet, bending your knees as you landed. Exactly one minute and forty seconds between the first shot and the third. A minute and a half recharge. You only had twenty seconds at best before the fire mage could fire at you again.

When he did fire, it wasn't at you. He ignited some trash in the alley in front of you, forcing you to change direction quickly. They were herding you again. You cursed at yourself for not just running through the flames. If you'd been quick, it would have been fine.

The second one -the war mage- cut you off just before the main road, grabbing you roughly and shoving you up against the brick wall. Your head hit hard, blacken spots blooming across your vision momentarily. He slammed your head into the wall again before dropping you.

You crumpled. The first teen caught up, gripping your soaked shirt by the collar and dragging you up into a sitting position braced against the wall. "You've got some nerve, dragging us through all this." He told you, raising his magun to point right between your eyes. "You're getting what you deserve, _traitor_."

A bright orange shield surrounded you just as he fired. "Sorry it took me so long, _." A too-cheery voice greeted. "You definitely covered some distance though, Chica."

Voice number one cried out in pain, and you knew, despite the fact you couldn't see, that Jamie was none too pleased. "Fuck off! Who the hell do you think you are!" He shouted.

"It takes someone with no morals," Jamie began, voice dangerous, "to attack a healer. You _will_ regret it." You wanted to stop him. You hated pain and suffering, and certainly didn't want Jamie to cause it because of you.

You couldn't. The world turned black again, taking sound and feeling with it this time.

* * *

Alphys glared at her phone, disbelieving. Your friend, Fuku, had called, worried because you hadn't gotten back from her place yet. She wasn't sure if she should care, but she couldn't just ignore a call from a monster that needed help.

And, you had left hours ago.

Tentatively, she dialed a familiar number. "I'M COMING TOO." Sans stated simply as she approached the door.

"You don't owe her, Sans." Alphys argued half-heartedly.

" _SHE IS MY FRIEND._ I'M COMING." He ground out in response, glaring at her as the canine unit arrived. "IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH MY OWING HER ANYTHING."

Knowing there was no arguing with him, she turned to the assembled monster dogs. Alphys barely had to tell them who they were looking for before they took off. Of course, they knew you. How could she forget?

Nothing seemed odd for about half of the trip, until your scent suddenly veered off course. You weren't heading for the dorms anymore. It was rather sudden, since she knew the exact path you had taken to get to her house, which was the same one you intended to take on the return trip.

Alphys shared a glance with Sans as they continued on to an abandoned warehouse. She couldn't deny any longer that Fuku may have had cause to call them in. You really could have been in trouble.

Your scent led inside, but Doggo found its exit point without them needing to get permission to enter. Where he found it, though, made Sans grind his teeth in worry. They didn't even need the canine unit anymore. They could just follow the crimson trail you'd left behind. Lesser Dog noted the presence of three additional male scents starting from this point.

Greater Dog confirmed, when her skeletal second had asked, that the blood was indeed yours. The ensuing silence from Sans was more than a small bit unnerving.

You were a mage! You had hidden it from them! Why was she so damn worried about you right now? Why couldn't she just hate your guts like she was supposed to? When it was all your peoples' fault that hers had suffered so much?

But she _was_ worried. There was no avoiding it. Alphys _liked_ you. You had wormed your stupid, magical self into her Soul and taken up residence there.

Thankfully, the trail you'd left turned away from the charred alleyway. Alphys allowed herself to hope, momentarily, that you had gotten away from whoever was after you. It was a short-lived hope.

The trail didn't go on for much farther before ending just feet away from a main road. A splash of red decorated the wall like some sort of morbid graffiti. Dogamy pointed out the addition of yet another male scent, but that was it. Your trail ended completely in a pool of crimson.

As if you'd vanished. There was no more following you. She would have to call Fuku back with the…non-existent findings. This scene reminded her so much of the early days after the barrier fell. Tracking a missing monster with the unit, only to end at a pile of dust.

But humans left bodies, didn't they? Where was yours? Did that mean you were alive somewhere? She didn't dare to hope quite yet.

Out of the corner of her eye, Alphys saw Sans clench his gloved hands into fists.


	8. Being Overprotective Means They Care

"You still can't heal yourself, huh? And since your magic mixes so poorly with other healing, other healers can't even help you." Jamie questioned as you stirred. A groan was his only answer as the pain made itself known to you again. You could hear his shrug. "You'll get there. I hear it's a common problem with you healers."

You pried your eyes open, wincing at the too-bright lights above you. Your sticky clothes were gone, replaced with simple blue scrubs over bandaging. _Headquarters_ , you realized as you looked around. Right. Jamie had shown up to save you, hadn't he?

The cocoa-skinned mage snapped his fingers in front of your face drawing your attention. "I need you all here, Chica. Doc needs to make sure you don't have a concussion or anything. Douchebag number one slammed your head into that wall pretty hard."

You ran through your own mental checklist. Your vision was normal, no dizziness, no confusion, no memory gaps, no nausea. You did have a headache, sensitivity to light, not sound, and you were certainly drowsy, but those could just be from the beating you'd taken.

"How long?" You croaked, throat dry.

"It's Saturday evening." Jamie responded, handing you a cup full of ice. You'd left Alphys and Undyne's place Friday night, so just a day.

Sitting up, you gazed at the door as Dr. Piroi entered. "Miss _, I'm glad to see that you're awake." She shined a flashlight into your eyes quickly, checking. You winced. "Do you remember how you got here?"

"No, but I'm pretty sure I passed out before that." You answered, blinking several times as she took the light away. "I assume Jamie teleported us in." Said mage nodded at you in response.

"Any dizziness or nausea?" She asked, grabbing the reflex hammer.

"No, not yet at least. I _do_ have a headache, and I would like nothing more than to go to bed right now, but…" Your leg jerked as she tapped your knee. She had you stand up and walk in a line to check your balance.

"That could easily be from your body trying to fix itself." She confirmed, checking a couple more things before plopping into her chair. "You don't seem to have a concussion. You know the warning signs, though, so if they bother you later, be sure to let me know Miss _. And do try not to get yourself killed."

It was a clear dismissal. You let Jamie lead you out into the hall, unsurprised as he headed toward the offices. "You're lucky I got there when I did, Chica." He told you, voice strained. You and Jamie rarely talked and almost never saw each other, but that didn't mean you weren't friends. It was an odd friendship, mostly digital in nature, but you _were_ still friends.

"Thank you." He stopped walking abruptly. "I _was_ lucky."

He whirled, engulfing you in a loose hug, wary of your injuries. "Be more careful, _. You aren't invincible. Not even close." He demanded before letting go and continuing down the hall.

Jamie blatantly refused to tell you what had happened to the teens who had attacked you. You weren't quite sure if it was because he wasn't allowed to, or he just didn't want you to know. Perhaps you should just leave it alone.

"I don't suppose my clothes survived?" You inquired when he stopped outside of Boss's door.

Jamie paused mid-knock to stare at the ceiling. "Almost fucking dies and she's worried about her _wardrobe_." He complained quietly. As he went to try again, a familiar, gruff voice could be heard through it.

What in the seven hells was _Alphys_ doing at Headquarters? Boss hushed her at hearing Jamie knock, and grunted at you to come in. The door opened on its own, and the two of you stepped in.

It wasn't just Alphys. Sans was here too. Both Boss and Alphys had quieted upon your arrival, everyone save Jamie inspecting you closely. If not for the absolute silence, you might have missed the quiet whisper of your name that came from Sans. You had never heard him sound so quiet.

You were an idiot. You had promised Fuku you would check in once you were home. When you didn't, of course she would call Alphys; you were at her house. You started to reach towards him, trying to reassure him that you were fine, but Boss chose that moment to clear his throat. Your arm dropped back immediately.

"So, you're back with us, _. Glad to see it." You turned, bowing your head to the well-toned man. Boss was an empath, a skill that let him get quite far with people. "Jamie has filled me in on most of the details already. Anything specific from you?"

You swallowed, knowing you should tell him and also knowing it would worry your friends. "They were at the mall before, when we got into a scuffle with teenagers there."

Boss's gaze was severe, but you weren't worried. "Repeat offenders." He stated. "I'll look into it. Thank you. Go with your friends, _. They were worried."

The four of you left, silence reigning until you got to the lobby. Jamie rested a hand lightly on your shoulder before vanishing. You turned to your silent monster friends.

"WE LOOKED FOR YOU." Sans informed you. "THE CANINE UNIT TRACKED YOU DOWN." His voice was forcibly even. You could hear the strain behind it. Oh dear. You had an idea where that trail would have ended.

Jamie didn't leave trails when he teleported. That they'd found Headquarters was more than a feat. You vaguely wondered how they'd done it.

You didn't know what to say. "I…" You trailed off. What _could_ you say? An apology?

"I SHOULD HAVE WALKED YOU HOME!" Sans yelled at you, finally meeting your gaze with tear-filled eye sockets. "THEN YOU WOULDN'T HAVE GOTTEN SO HURT! YOU COULD HAVE…" He shook his head, trailing off.

"That was a lot of blood you lost, Punk. We were afraid we'd never see you again." Alphys cut in, sparing Sans. "And when we didn't hear from you at all today…" She shot a half-hearted accusatory glare at you.

Knowing physical affection meant a lot to Sans, you stretched your arms out to him. He obliged quickly, hugging you more gently than you had thought he was capable of. You were learning all sorts of things about him tonight. "I'm glad you weren't there. I would hate to see you hurt too." You softly echoed his words from the mall.

"BUT I COULD HAVE PROTECTED YOU! I SHOULD HAVE PROTECTED YOU." He protested fiercely. You should have known. Monsters got close to people quickly.

"You aren't to blame. Neither am I, or Boss, or Jamie. Only the jerks that attacked me are." You assured him. He pulled back far enough to give you a thorough inspection. His expression darkened with each new injury or bandage he found.

"Jamie is that kid from earlier?" Alphys asked. "He's a mage, right?"

You chuckled, ignoring the pain shooting through you as you did so. "He's not nearly a _kid_ , but yes. That's him. And, save you two, everyone in this complex is a mage. Though, considering monsters have magic, the exception may be unnecessary."

Alphys's good eye fixed on you. "Yourself included?"

Oh. You'd walked right into that. "Yes." You answered without hesitation. "I am."

Alphys sighed. "I know. We all do." _What_? _Since when_? "We kinda figured it out after last night, Punk." Oh right. Not many normal people got attacked randomly by mages, and fewer survived. It was a logical leap. You involuntarily flinched when her hand flew up to point at you. "It's hard to hate you when you're so damn honest about it! Why do you make it so difficult?" She raged, glaring at you.

"ALPHYS." Sans stated her name so calmly, you almost missed the dangerous undertone in it. The captain turned away from you, fuming. You were relatively certain her ire wasn't really directed at either of you.

The guard captain was silent for a moment. "We need to get her back to Fuku and Grillby. Everybody's worried about you, punk." Everybody? Really?

* * *

The clerk on the first floor handed you your slightly bloody phone and keys on your way out. Sans made an odd noise when he saw them, so you quickly asked for a tissue so you could wipe them off. It was hard enough, you supposed, seeing you with injuries and bandages. You figured they had more than enough blood if they followed you to where Jamie had saved you. You had probably left a puddle of it. Seeing the sticky substance on your things only made it more real.

Once you got out of range of the building's jammer, your phone blew up with messages and missed calls. Just as you went to check them, it rang.

 _Here we go_ , you thought as you brought it up to your ear. You didn't even have the chance to talk before Fuku sobbed your name. After failing for several minutes to calm her down, you hung up, promising to come right over.

Sighing, you looked down at yourself. There was no getting around this. Even if you changed, they would be able to see the bandages, not even mentioning the obvious injuries exposed on your face and forehead. At least you probably wouldn't run into any more trouble, courtesy of your overprotective escort.

Ten minutes later, you spotted a distraught Fuku outside her father's bar waiting for you. She wasn't alone. Sans and Alphys stopped a bit before you did, finally allowing you more than a meter worth of space. Grillby trailed along behind Fuku as she slammed into you, fixing you with an expression somewhere between fury and worry. You didn't doubt he wanted whoever had done this.

It wasn't long before she noticed you wincing from the pressure. "What happened to you?" She demanded furiously, pulling away slightly to trace the burn on your face with a gentle hand. Her gaze followed the line of bandaging underneath the scrubs you were wearing, as well as the large wrapping on your left arm from where metal stairs had attacked you.

"Teenagers from the mall with maguns." You replied simply.

"Who?" Grillby demanded. If he had teeth, you were certain he would be grinding them.

You sighed. "There's an entire building full of people who know and won't tell me. I'm pretty sure Sans and Alphys didn't have any more luck on that front." You informed him as he turned to the two guards.

Fuku finally released you, only to grab your shoulders and whirl you around, marching you inside. You didn't protest. A place to sit sounded like heaven right now.

Grillby must have warned the guests ahead of time, because you could almost see the canine unit restraining themselves from swarming you. Undyne waited at a booth, where Fuku sat you down. Then everyone swarmed.

Sans somehow managed to end up right next to you, standing over you just as protectively as before. A quick glance around told you that, no you hadn't just missed him. Papyrus wasn't present. Of course not; he disliked you _before_ he knew you were a mage.

* * *

Fuku couldn't pin down what her emotions were doing just then. She had been so excited to tell you about her evening last night, and she knew you'd been just as eager to hear about her date with Muffet. But you never called. You could get carried away, but once it passed midnight she knew something was wrong.

But you weren't at Alphys's place anymore. The guard captain agreed to look for you, so she'd waited. She hadn't even told her father yet when Alphys and Sans had come into the bar, expressions grave.

Fuku knew Sans. Everyone knew Sans. She'd never seen him like this, though. Seven sorts of distraught and looking like he wanted to punch something. It was more than enough to tell her.

She had barely registered the words in her mind as the two told her and her father what they had found. Which was nothing except for the severe possibility you were dead.

They kept looking. She kept trying your phone.

Then you had answered. Fuku couldn't stop the lava-like tears that had spilled down her face in that moment. She hadn't been able to say anything intelligible for nearly a minute she was so relieved. She'd shot a huge smile at her father, who interpreted it correctly, before dashing out the door to wait for you.

And you came, flanked by your new friends. They _had_ found you.

Fuku was so happy to see you alive and well, she engulfed you in a tight hug without checking that second part very hard. You tensed as she squeezed, letting out an almost imperceptible grunt of pain.

She could see a curve under your scrubs. One that she could easily identify as a bandage. Horrified, she allowed her gaze to rise, noting the burn on your face and the abrasions on your forehead dipping dangerously close to your eye. You weren't fine.

You knew she needed it though, so you hadn't protested when she hugged you. Even though she'd caused you pain.

How had she forgotten that your magic didn't work on yourself? Knowing you must be tired, she somewhat forcibly led you inside, sitting you down at one of the comfortable booths. How could you be so calm about the whole thing? If your bandages and reported blood loss were any indication, they had nearly _killed_ you.

But you smiled at her, reassuring, as if everything was okay. And she knew you were right, underneath her growing fury. You would heal up just fine in a week or two. Then you would go on as if nothing had happened in the first place. But something _had_ happened, and all your friends were in agreement on one thing.

Heaven would burn before they would allow anything like this to happen again.


	9. In Which You Are Not Made of Glass

You woke in a comfortable cocoon of blankets. It was a far cry from the table you were sure you'd fallen asleep on, but certainly not an unwelcome one. You were hesitant, for a short period, to poke your head out, knowing it would be cold.

Still, certain bodily functions simply could not be ignored for long. The air outside of your burrito was chilly in comparison to inside, but it wasn't all that cold really. A quick glance told you that you had slept in Fuku's bedroom.

Not that it was something you hadn't done before, but it was odd without the fire elemental present. Light streamed in behind the thermal curtains, but it wasn't nearly enough to tell you what time it was, since your bestie didn't keep a clock.

Instead, you grabbed your cell from the bedside table before emerging from the heat to head to the bathroom. The small digital display informed you that it was almost noon on Sunday. No missed class then.

Sitting down, you flipped the device open, only to be greeted with a chibi version of Undyne bowing to you. You laughed as Asian symbols filled a speech bubble on your screen followed by "(I'm Sorry)" as a footnoted translation.

It was perfect for someone who liked anime and gadgetry as much as Undyne did. You weren't sure when she had the time to program your phone to do this. Then again, maybe that part-magic, part-technology bug she said she'd installed gave her a lot more access than you'd thought.

It _had_ tracked you to just shy of headquarters, after all.

You stood and flushed, setting the device on the counter while you washed your hands and face. A quick look in the mirror told you that the magical food you'd eaten before falling asleep again had done its work. The injuries on your face were almost healed.

You straightened, turning the water off and drying your face with a towel. Fuku was standing outside waiting for you when you opened the door.

Were it anyone else, and had she not been holding a fresh roll of bandaging, you might have found it creepy. You didn't argue with the stern look she sent you though. You doubted you could do it yourself.

You let her in. Fuku wasn't a rough person, by any means, but the gentleness she used as she unwrapped you was ridiculous. You weren't suddenly made of glass. Still, she needed this; you weren't about to argue.

You were startled when she turned the water on, throwing a cloth in the sink and watching it soak in the warm water. Fire elementals couldn't touch water. There was no way you were letting her _hurt_ herself for this.

Your dominant hand reached out to pluck it from the sink. The gash on your arm pulled a bit, but you were certain your other arm didn't have the range of motion needed from your sitting position. Shoulder injuries restricted movement for _months_ without magical healing.

Your body had already scabbed itself over, courtesy of two days' rest and Grillby's magical food. You wiped gently, cleaning away any ooze, gunk, or dirt, careful of the stitches lining the gash on your dominant arm.

You held back a gag. If you let her know, Fuku would just try to take over again. It was still disgusting, no matter how many times you'd seen, handled, and healed similar injuries. So instead you did as much as you possibly could, looking as little as possible.

For what you could reach anyway. Once you couldn't anymore, you called on your magic. You didn't have a lot. It may not be able to heal you, but your body was still using it as an energy source so it could fix itself. Still, you had more than enough for something as simple as telekinesis on a rag.

Fuku wasn't too pleased, but she didn't argue. The elemental pointed out where you needed to clean, chastising you if you glossed over the area rather than scrubbing. When you finished, dropping the rag unceremoniously to the floor, Fuku began rewrapping you with all the expertise that came from watching videos online and practicing for hours.

Not professional, but certainly well-done. "How long?" She finally asked, breaking the extended silence. At your questioning glance, she added, "the recovery."

You contemplated for a moment. Magun wounds were hard to judge. They didn't have equivalent damage to, say, a bullet, but that was the closest you could get for an estimate. "If we cut the usual recovery time in half from magic food, and my body using my own magic as an energy source…" You trailed off. Fuku urged you to continue. "The stuff on my face should be gone tomorrow. My other arm about a week. The graze on my side, about 5 days. Shoulder: skin healing in a couple of weeks, range of motion in about two months, if ever."

" ** _If ever_**?" Fuku repeated dangerously. You heard it twice and glanced up to note Grillby standing in the bathroom doorway, which the two of you hadn't bothered to close. There was no response you could give them for reassurance; you might never get it back, after all. That's how such wounds worked without magical healing.

"You have guests." Grillby informed you, cutting off whatever sharp retort Fuku had planned on giving you. "Both skeleton brothers, the royal guard captain, and the royal scientist."

" _Both_?" You squeaked. You couldn't outright say you were afraid, not in this super-protective environment, but Papyrus so far had made no attempt to hide his disdain for you. You doubted that it had changed so suddenly, especially with the new news of your being a mage.

Monsters rarely reacted well to your kind. They only reacted well to _you_ because you'd gotten to know them, and made friends with them, before it came to light. And because you weren't dangerous.

You were overjoyed when, rather than scrubs, Fuku handed you your own clothes to change into. They fit loosely and were certainly comfortable, although you doubted Fuku would let you wear anything deemed "too tight" for a while.

You slipped into them with only mild difficulty, since you couldn't raise your arm very high.

* * *

It was warm down in the bar; the flames must have already begun food prep for the day. It was eerily silent as you made your way out of the back room into the main bar, the only sounds being your steps as your bare feet met the tiles.

Grillby and Fuku were already present, having complied with your wishes to be allowed to do _some_ things by yourself. Like walking down stairs. It was impressive they'd agreed.

Trying to ignore the heavy feeling in the air, you slipped into the only empty seat at the table. "Good morning." You greeted cheerily.

"IT IS PAST NOON, _" Sans informed you as his brother glared. "YOU ARE BECOMING NEARLY AS LAZY AS MY BROTHER!" He told you with a wide grin. He was trying to be funny, you realized.

"I dunno, Sans. From everything you've told me, such a feat seems pretty difficult." You replied with a smirk. Alphys snorted in amusement as her shy fiancé raised a hand to cover a growing smile.

Perhaps teasing Papyrus wasn't the best idea, you noted as he opened his mouth to reply. Whatever he was going to say was interrupted by Undyne grabbing your hand suddenly. You shifted your gaze from the furious skeleton to the scientist.

"C-can I talk t-to y-you? P-p-privately?" Undyne stuttered out, suddenly serious. This was quite a step.

"Does the back-room work?" You asked Grillby. It _was_ up to him who could and couldn't go back there. He studied the two of you for a moment before nodding and lifting a single finger to indicate that it was a one-time thing.

She followed you easily, stealing the chairs from you as you tried to set them out. Right, you weren't allowed to do anything _possibly_ strenuous. Undyne paused for a few seconds before turning to you. "C-can you se-sequence a s-silent w-ward? I d-don't want…" _Could_ you? You knew the sequence, easily, but did you have enough power to sustain it for any length of time? As if she understood the reason for your hesitation, she added, "I can p-power it. I m-may not s-seem like it, b-but I ha-have a good a-amount of m-magic en-energy."

Usually, when you had to make a sequence, you just used your magic to form the symbols. For obvious reasons, that wasn't going to work here, so you fished around your cubby for a notebook and pencil. Thankfully, sequenced spells didn't need any magic until activated.

It took you less than a minute to draw the spell out and hand it to her. "Y-you were a-an a-academy mage, weren't y-you?"

"Once upon a time." You answered simply as white magic lit up the symbols on the paper and a bubble stretched out over the two of you.

Once it had completed, Undyne sat and fixed you with a serious expression. "I know I n-never explained w-what that bug does. Th-the one I p-put on your phone." You reassured your fried that you were fine with it, but she shook her head. "It k-keeps a log for about a d-day of all i-it sees or h-hears. The v-video is irrelevant w-with your c-cell, since y-your camera is b-broken, b-but I did go o-over the l-logs from F-Friday."

She'd heard everything then. And, obviously, noted those three calls to Jamie. This was confirmed a moment later when she hesitatingly inquired, "W-why did they c-call you 'traitor'?"

Of course. "For helping you." You told her quietly. "Mages are split on what their opinion of monsters is, but it isn't anywhere _near_ even. I'm in the minority there, along with the mages at headquarters. That's why even _your_ signal got jammed there. It's a highly defended building."

"Why?" the scientist asked, curiosity overriding her usual stutter. "We've gained a majority approval with humans in general. Why are mages so different?"

She must have been calmer in this one-on-one environment. "Because you're already full citizens, with all the rights most humans have. Since mages don't have those rights, they're generally jealous and angry. Especially at those who helped you, thinking we abandoned our own people to do it."

Shock made her lose her grip on the magic she was supplying to your sequence, allowing a loud crash to enter your silence bubble as it faltered. You both leapt to your feet, wrenching the door open to see what in the seven hells was going on.

And almost taking a magical bone to the face. " _you!_ " a familiar voice hissed at you. Before you knew what was happening, Undyne dragged you back behind the door, the sturdy obstacle blocking another projectile bone. "you little lying-!"

"BROTHER, STOP IT!" Sans cut in.

"Whoa, what?" You questioned loudly, poking your head back out so you could see what was going on. In a strange juxtaposition of expected strength, Sans was standing with a bony arm wrapped around his brother's midsection, holding him in place as he cursed at you.

It didn't matter much, as Papyrus _was_ capable of teleportation. His bony phalanges gripped you by the collar of your shirt, lifting you violently into the air and shoving you up against the wall. "why should i?" He spat at you. "you lied to us!"

Thankfully he wasn't cutting off your air supply. "Never lied." You protested. "Why should you what?"

You shook your head quickly at Fuku, who was approaching dangerously, magic sparking around her in her fury.

Papyrus shook as he shouted at you. "how could i just accept you? being close to any of us? you mages are dangerous! you humans are dangerous!" A bright flare in his left eye socket flickered on and off as he raged. You could easily sense the powerful magic behind it.

"Which of us is the dangerous one right now?" Your response was calm and quiet, but it forced him to drop you immediately, to your surprise. He covered his eyes sockets with a hand. Fuku lunged forward, placing herself squarely between you, though it proved unnecessary as Papyrus backed off.

The skeleton disappeared into thin air, leaving the rest of you in silence.

"Did he hurt you?" A low voice demanded. You shifted your gaze up to Grillby, who had moved close. You straightened the wrinkles he'd left in your shirt, but other than your clothes, there was no damage done. You shook your head.

* * *

Undyne lost all concentration on the magic spell she was funneling magic into at your admission. Monsters had more rights that _human_ mages did? Something about that didn't quite seem right. A loud crash interrupted her attempt to restart the spell.

She was only a beat behind you as you rushed to investigate. Undyne had a feeling that whatever this was would only be dangerous for _you_. A thought that proved to be correct, she noted, as one of Papyrus's attacks flew by, barely missing you. She gripped your arm and dragged you back behind the door as another came flying in your direction.

What did he think he was _doing_ right now? What in the world could attacking _you_ accomplish?

Papyrus appeared behind the two of you, harmlessly swatting Undyne off of you before shoving you up against a wall. You managed to stay very calm, considering you were just starting recovery from being attacked.

Undyne watched her fiancé place a hand on Sans's shoulder, restraining him. Fuku avoided similar restraint altogether, storming toward the two of you until you stopped her.

Papyrus was strong. He might have only rarely used it, but he didn't manage to gain his title by doing nothing. It was certainly a strength that you seemed to recognize. Still, there was no fear in your eyes as you returned his furious gaze.

You managed to stop Papyrus's anger with a single sentence. Of course, there was no way for you to know just how those words would affect him, as the queen's former judge. Still, you had a penchant sometimes for saying just the right thing.

How did you do it?


	10. The Wonders of Real Estate

"I love it." You commented immediately.

"YOU BARELY LOOKED AT IT." Sans scolded you. "LET ALONE CHECKED OUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO ASCERTAIN ITS SAFETY." Fuku held up a hand to silence him.

"She does that. You should have seen all the places she shot down just as quickly. This is the first time she's approved of one, so let's give it a chance."

Both of them shot a glance to the anxious real estate agent. You had, true to Fuku's word, denied many of the places he'd shown to you as soon as you'd seen them. At least, it must have seemed that way to him.

It had nothing to do with what they looked like.

You looked back at him, excitement evident in your features. "Let's check it out!" You ordered with a smile, bounding up to the door. The agent followed you nervously, fumbling with the keys as he opened the door.

You slipped your shoes off by the door respectfully before padding along the hardwood floor to check out the front room. It was bare and impersonal, but that would be easy to fix with a fresh coat of paint and some furniture. You walked under the decorative arch to the dining room, through which was the kitchen.

If you stood quietly, you could almost catch the lingering feelings of all the happy nights spent eating here. The fresh coat of paint covered up years' worth of smudging hands and food fights. "The people selling this place had kids, didn't they?"

You had startled the agent with your question. Stumbling over the same two syllables repeatedly, he brought out his phone to check the paperwork. "Three children, yes. How did you know?"

 _Simple magic that even the unspecialized can use._ "She does that." Fuku stated simply. "Hey, _. They have a deep tub."

"Really?" You were almost vibrating with excitement as you dashed to the bathroom. Just as Fuku said, you could sink all of you into this tub and still have a few inches of water above you. Perhaps even more if you flipped the stupid water-level-drain thing. "Did you check out the kitchen, Fuku? I think it's big enough for you, and it even has an island."

"I HAVE DONE A QUICK PATROL OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, AND IT SEEMS VERY SAFE. SEVERAL OF YOUR NEIGHBORS ARE MONSTERS." Sans called as he entered the house.

"Of course." You affirmed, poking your head back into the front room. "Nobody manages to have a happy house and raise happy, successful children in a dangerous neighborhood." Sans shot a quick, confused look at your best friend before you dragged him to the kitchen. "You like cooking almost as much as Fuku does. Let me know what you think of the kitchen."

The stars that his pupils turned into was answer enough.

"I love the bedroom on the left." Fuku informed you. "It has a skylight. The loft must only cover that half of the house. Can we see the paperwork?" she asked the agent. He quickly agreed, dashing out of the room to retrieve it from his car.

"YOU HAVEN'T LOOKED AT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART YET!" Sans exclaimed, wrenching the curtains on the rear-facing windows open. "WHAT A GOOD AMOUNT OF SPACE FOR ACTIVITIES!" He assessed professionally.

"Totally!" You agreed, coming to stand next to him. Your arm brushed up against his as you peered outside into the spacious backyard due to the small size of the window. "We could totally put a meditation garden over there and still have enough space for a game of washers or ladder toss over there." You told him, pointing. A moment passed with no response. "Sans?"

Rather than an answer, Sans let out an odd squeak. You turned to look at him, finding his skull mere inches from your face. His face had turned as blue as your magic.

"Are you okay Sans?" You asked, placing your hand on his forehead to see if he was warmer than usual. He wasn't, but it was possible that monsters didn't even work that way. Worriedly, you questioned, "Have you not been using your magic enough? Are you overloading?"

Fuku snickered behind you. "He's overloading all right." Fear gripped you so suddenly at her confirmation, you didn't even have time to wonder about their, also instant, change in demeanor. Your gaze jumped to her, swiftly seeing the smile drop from her face at your sudden panic, before turning back to Sans.

"NO!" Sans denied emphatically. "I'M FINE!" He backed away from you swiftly, some of the extra magic fading from his skull.

"But you…" You trailed off, leaving your outstretched hand hanging limply in the air from his sudden absence. You studied their confounded expressions for a few seconds. Did they even know? Fuku had laughed when you asked, so perhaps they didn't realize how serious overloading was. "Can monsters overload?"

"I don't think we're on the same page as to what this word means to you, _." Fuku stated, quite serious now in contrast to her mirth from before.

You relaxed slightly, lowering your arm. She was serious now in reaction to _you_ , not to the potentially dire situation she apparently hadn't known about. "WHAT IS IT, HUMAN _? WHAT DOES 'OVERLOADING' MEAN?"

You sighed in relief. "It's a thing for human mages. It…happens when we go to long without using our magic. Bottling it up and letting your reserves grow to bursting."

"When you say 'to bursting'…?" Fuku questioned.

Both of them grew even more serious as you nodded. "The human body can only handle so much magic, even if you're a mage. Overloading is what happens at the end, when your body can't hold in any more. If the person doesn't release some of the pent-up power at this point, it explodes." You hesitated for a moment before adding, "Many mages, historically, have used it as a method of suicide."

Silence reigned for a moment before you got your answer, "NO. MONSTERS CAN'T 'OVERLOAD' SINCE WE ARE ESSENTIALLY MADE OF MAGIC. THERE IS NO WORRY OF US EXPLODING FROM GOING TOO LONG WITHOUT ACTIVELY USING OUR MAGIC. I AM SORRY THAT I CAUSED YOU SUCH DISTRESS."

"Oh, no." You assured him quickly. "You guys weren't aware. It's fine. Thinking about it now, it isn't really something that gets talked about in our society much, so I'm not surprised you didn't know. I'm really just relieved at this point. It would be terrible if you just suddenly disappeared."

Fuku's eyes shot to you suddenly, as if realizing something. "Back when we met." She said suddenly. You flinched. "When you first got the job with Dad. We didn't know you were a mage for months, because you _never_ used your magic. _Never._ " She emphasized again, furious. "Until I got hurt."

"You needed it." You mumbled, unable to deny what she was implying. There was no way you could possibly have missed the absolute horror that crossed your friends' faces in that moment. "At the time, I was pissed. It set me back _months_. Now, though, I'm pretty happy about it."

"YOU…" Sans pained voice reached your ears. He trailed off, as though he couldn't even bear to _think_ what it was he was trying to say. "YOU WANT…?"

"I am past that point." You iterated strongly. "Well past."

The sound of the door opening interrupted whatever they were going to say next. "So, the inspection was done two months ago." The agent stated as he walked into the kitchen with the three of you. "The asking price is $145,000, which isn't bad for a 2,500 square foot three-bedroom house in this neighborhood."

You and Fuku shared a glance before you responded. "Offer one-forty with us covering closing. We like it."

"S-sure." He stuttered, surprised. "I just need the bank paperwork saying you qualify for the loan and I'll put the offer in."

You smiled as Fuku palmed her face for forgetting something so important. You had put off going to the bank for just this purpose, hoping to pleasantly surprise your best friend. "You don't understand." Everyone turned to your smiling form in confusion. "I'm paying cash."

After all, you still got a monthly stipulation for being a rank seven mage, even if you never touched it. Over the years, you easily had more than that saved up. You even had the bank summary with you to prove you could afford it.

* * *

"So, we're going in Friday to sign the paperwork," You finished, taking a sip from your smoothie. The chill from the drink was soothing on such a hot pre-summer day. "Fuku's looking into home insurance for us."

"I wasn't aware you had that much money saved up. How did you manage it?"

"Any mage ranked five and up receives pay from the Department. Me too, but I hated my magic, so I never touched it. It's built up over the years. The extra money is nice, now. Maybe I should go see if I qualify for a rank-up…" You trailed off, pondering.

Grillby chuckled. "You sure have changed. Time was, you absolutely _refused_ to use your magic." You thanked your lucky stars that Fuku wasn't here right now to explain to him exactly what that meant. "You didn't even use it openly a few months ago. I suppose Sans is due some credit. Oh, but I hope this doesn't change anything?"

Don't worry Da-." You cut yourself off. Had you really almost called him that? How presumptuous of you. "Don't worry." You repeated. "I'm happy to still work here." The intense gaze he fixed you with told you he hadn't missed your slip-up.

Whatever he was going to reply with, however, was interrupted by the door opening to a very loud Alphys. "Hey, Punk! Sans told me you found a place! Why didn't you tell me?" She stomped over to you, grabbing your shoulders and shaking you gently in frustration. It probably would have been rougher were you not still hurt.

"You seem to have found out just fine as it is!" You countered. "We're closing Friday. After that, you guys can come over and have a look."

"Hell yeah! Did'ja hear that, Babe?" She demanded, eyes shooting back toward the bar's entrance. Hoo boy. Now you had to get ready for a housewarming party.

* * *

Asgore enjoyed having guests. Even if he hadn't met you yet, he was excited to be able to finally invite a human again. Especially since even Alphys and Undyne had approved when he'd asked their opinion of you.

He was certain Chara would be safe around you.

The child direly needed someone who was human around. They loved him as a father, and he filled that role well enough that the courts had given him custody. But he wasn't human, and couldn't fulfill that particular need his child had.

Humans could be terrible. He'd been alive for millennia; it wasn't as though he didn't know it. For a year after coming to the surface, he had thought that only children had any good left in them. Adults' Souls became so faded from the pressures of society, and their thoughts were no longer their own. Even when some changed their minds and decided to support monsters, he had stayed wary of them.

So, when Tori had told him of a human she had encountered that had made friends with his child's friends, he'd been intrigued. Alphys, Undyne, Papyrus, and Sans didn't make human friends easily. They certainly had never let said humans come to meet Chara.

You were such an exception to this rule. Alphys had outright told him you were harmless, while Undyne politely let him know that you had a tendency to project quite a few of your thoughts. Not that you hid them anyway, came from an excited Sans. You said almost anything on your mind.

You had to be integrity then. He was interested to see you, an adult with a still-bright Soul.

Only four more hours.


	11. Informal Banquet

It was nerve-wracking, walking up to a monarch's door. Especially with your nerves so on end already from the week before. _It will be fine_. You assured yourself, before remembering that Sans, Alphys, and Undyne would be present too. Oh, and Papyrus.

You opened the screen door, shifting the bowl you were holding so you could easily knock. It opened immediately, as if the person behind it had been waiting.

"Welcome!" a booming voice greeted you. "It is a pleasure to meet you, my child. I am Asgore." He introduced himself cheerily.

You felt some of your tension drain away at his jubilance. "Good evening Your Majesty. The pleasure is mine. I wasn't sure, so I brought some food too." You informed him, holding the bowl out in front of you. Grillby had been nice enough to lend you the kitchen.

"Asgore is just fine, child. Please, come in." He invited, lifting the food from your hands. You obliged, stopping just inside the door to remove your shoes.

When you looked up, a child stood in front of you. They seemed to be inspecting you. Flushed cheeks matched well the excitement in their face as they gazed up at you, bright red eyes shining. Literally when it came to their left eye, as their pupil had been replaced with the image of a clock. They were a time mage.

Their hands flew quickly then, far too quickly for you. Crap. You only really remembered the alphabet from when you'd learned it in high school during a history lesson. Haltingly, you tried to respond, spelling, H-I I-T-S N-I-C-E T-O M-E-E-T Y-O-U. You cringed a bit, knowing there was a better way to say it, but you simply couldn't.

Wonder flashed through their expression. Evidently, not many people signed to the child. Slowly this time, realizing your limited understanding, they signed their name for you. Chara. You signed yours back.

"That's wonderful. You know sign language?" Asgore inquired, having relieved himself of your bowl of food.

"Not really." You replied, continuing to finger spell: I-T-S A P-L-E-A-S-U-R-E. "I only remember the alphabet, to be honest. I've never personally known anyone who used it, so I never learned."

After making sure Chara wasn't going to sign anything back to you, you allowed your gaze to drift back to Asgore, tensing a bit at the sight of the queen standing next to him. The way Toriel gazed at you, though, seemed almost approving.

"Your Majesty." You greeted, lowering your head a bit respectfully.

"Here, Toriel is fine. Welcome to our home, _." Chara turned to them, and their hands flew again. "Of course, child. Come, _. It is rude of us to keep you in the doorway."

So Chara could hear then. Mute, or selectively so. This was confirmed as the child flinched at an excited voice shouting your name.

Which was the only warning you had before you were gently tackled to the carpet by an excited skeleton. He hugged you more tightly as you automatically tried to right yourself, effectively pinning you. "YOUR SITUATIONAL AWARENESS COULD ALSO USE SOME WORK." He admonished you, sending a quick glance back at a highly amused Alphys.

It wasn't as though you paid no attention at all, but you were somewhere safe, and your secondary warning system wasn't going to kick in under these circumstances. Of course, your magic wouldn't warn you of a danger that wasn't there. Sans had no intention to hurt you.

Still, he wasn't wrong. He'd gotten you when you hadn't been paying attention. So, you smiled at him. "Sorry Sans."

Suddenly, unexpectedly, that situation changed. Your magic flared a quick warning at you and you responded thoughtlessly, forcefully rolling yourself and Sans out of the way of several magical white pellets. "TeMmIe DoEs NoT lIkE hUmAnS!"

You had landed on top this time, tensing in preparation. "I thought this was dinner! Not impromptu training!" you protested as Chara scooped up a strange looking…cat? Dog? You weren't sure. Temmie, apparently.

Chara sent an apologetic look at you before glaring at Temmie as Toriel and Alphys laughed.

"No! DoN't YoU dArE pUt TeMmIe OuTsIdE, bRaT!" The strange creature cried as Chara deposited it outside of the glass door that led to the porch.

"You've gotten yourself into quite a predicament there, haven't you Sans?" Toriel inquired mirthfully.

Confused, you glanced down. He looked fine to you, if a bit stunned. His face was blue again, and for the first time, you truly stopped to consider it. If it wasn't related to overloading, why would magic flush his face so often? Was it similar to how strong emotion caused Fuku to change color?

The answer hit you so hard when it came, you almost smacked yourself for not realizing it sooner. Your own face burned as you realized just how similar it was. Sans was _blushing_.

"what is going on in here?" Papyrus seethed as he entered the room. He didn't wait for a response, instead roughly gripping the back of your lavender dress and wrenching you into the air. "stay off my brother!"

Well, you couldn't exactly deny that the position you'd ended up in was a. completely your fault and b. could be seen as almost provocative. That didn't mean it had been intentional though. Despite the discomfort of the situation, Papyrus didn't mean to cause you harm, so you gently kicked your legs a bit, reaching for the floor.

Undyne followed him in, probably curious about all the noise. From your position dangling calmly in the air, you waved to the beautiful fish-woman.

"PUT HER DOWN, PAPYRUS." Sans ordered, standing up as Undyne's hands flew up to cover her mouth. "SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING BAD." The blue blush was fading from his face.

Really? This was still up in the air? Pun, definitely not intended. You had practically _negative_ ability to cause anyone present harm, and even less intention of doing so.

 _Calm down._ You told yourself. It was pointless to let Papyrus offend you. It wasn't as though you had expected him to suddenly be _nice._ Even if he was off of his warpath.

"Papyrus." Asgore's deep voice scolded. "_ is our guest." Your bare feet landed on the carpet as softly as you could manage with him suddenly dropping you. "I apologize, _. I had heard that Sans and Alphys were planning on teaching you self-defense, but I hadn't expected them to spring this on you."

You sent a smile around the room, unfettered as you straightened your dress. "A little excitement is good for everybody." You shook it off. "So, I brought green-bean casserole for dinner." You informed them, abruptly changing the subject before anyone else could apologize.

"Ah, yes. The chicken parmesan should be just about finished." Asgore noted, rushing through the door Undyne and Papyrus had emerged from moments before. _Must be the kitchen_ , you mused.

Chara came up to tug on your dress for your attention. You readily gave it, unsurprised as the child sign-spelled an apology at you. I-T-S F-I-N-E, you signed back.

Chara hesitated for a moment, not releasing your dress. M-A-Y I S-E-E Y-O-U-R-S with a quick point at their eye followed. You figured that it was a question, but…see your what?

Your confusion must have shown, because Undyne added, "Th-they want t-to s-see your m-mage-mark. Ac-actually, I k-kind of d-do too."

Oh. "Oh. That's simple enough." You were too aware of several sets of eyes watching you as you bent down to roll your white stocking down past your ankle. It was glowing again, dimly; still not full because of the constant drain on your magic that your body was causing.

"WHAT ARE THE STARS FOR?" Sans questioned, squatting down to get a better look. Bony phalanges reached out to brush the mark gently before recoiling quickly as if he were afraid it would hurt you.

Undyne answered him for you. "M-mages are ra-ranked by their s-skill and p-power now. There are d-different ways to sh-show it, b-but…"

"BUT CHARA DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING LIKE THAT." He protested.

"Of course not." Your answer came more quickly than you could stop it. "Ranking comes when you're a legal adult, after extensive and sometimes dangerous testing. Not to mention the years you have to spend at an academy as a prerequisite to said tests."

D-A-N-G-E-R-O-U-S. Chara tilted their head to clarify that it was a question.

"Uh…I'm not really supposed to say what they entail…" You trailed off as several expressions darkened in the room. "Don't worry about it too much. There are certainly some perks to ranking, but it definitely isn't a requirement to gain one at all anyways."

W-H-Y D-I-D Y-O-U T-H-E-N. Your fingers were about to form a reply when you were interrupted.

"Dinner's ready!" Asgore's booming voice flooded in from the other room. Relief flooded you as you jerked your stocking back into place…

You fretted when he handed you a plate so full it could feed you for two _days_. Surely he didn't expect you to eat all this? Well, you would have to be polite if he questioned why you didn't finish.

Chatter at the table was pretty random, the uncomfortable talk of weather and recent events. Finally, the attention turned to you. "So, how long have you been in Ebbott City?" Asgore inquired politely. You swallowed the potato chunk in your mouth before answering him.

"Autumn three years ago. Or I suppose it's closer to three-and-a-half now." You corrected yourself, popping another bite of delicious food into your mouth.

"I th-thought you w-were o-only just g-getting to be a third y-year s-student n-now?" Undyne questioned, clearly confused.

"I am." You confirmed. "The first year, I wasn't here for college exactly. There wouldn't be much of a reason for me to come to Ebott only for college, since its specialty is science-based studies."

"why were you here that first year then?" What? Was Papyrus…asking you a question? Had he ever asked you about yourself before? You couldn't remember.

"Part of that reason is classified, but the other part is just…running, I suppose. Running away from life." You almost winced at your own wording, especially when Sans's gaze flashed to you so seriously.

Chara place their fork down and turned to you after wiping their fingers off on a napkin. D-O Y-O-U L-I-K-E I-T H-E-R-E.

Y-E-S. I D-O. I-T-S M-Y F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E P-L-A-C-E. You replied.

* * *

Chara wasn't sure what to make of you at first. Your lack of understanding sign language was annoying, but normal. They'd been about to go get a translator when you'd tried to sign back to them. It was shaky, confused, and fumbled, but it was communication.

And it told Chara exactly how they could communicate with you without a translator. As long as they went slowly, you understood. And you made an effort to reply in the same way, even once you realized the child could hear.

It was amazingly refreshing.

Papyrus seemed to be the only one you hadn't won over, but that was probably Chara's fault. After them, Papyrus had sworn off mages altogether. They couldn't blame him, Chara had done some pretty bad things.

The child was sure you didn't deserve it though. Not like _they_ did.

Chara gripped your dress as soon as you stood from the table, dragging you off to play despite their father's protests. You laughed and picked up a crayon good naturedly, starting a rough sketch on one of the spare sheets of paper.

It didn't take long for Sans to join in. He loved art. Chara shifted their gaze between the two of you, noting the deliberate space Sans had left between you, and the way he avoided contact when you traded colors. You seemed completely oblivious, wrapped up in the play Chara had dragged you into.

Adults could be so stupid sometimes.


	12. Parties Don't Start Before Dawn

"You know I'm going to make you talk about it." Fuku informed you simply as you pulled on your summer pajamas. The two of you had agreed to share her bed for the night since you hadn't gotten the chance to buy a mattress yet.

"I know." You replied, falling into bed next to her. She had placed it right under the skylight, making the night sky the number one thing to gaze at presently.

"Do you want to just tell me? Or do I have to drag this out of you?" Your bestie complained.

"Some dragging required." You told her honestly.

Fuku sighed before rolling to face you. Considerately, you copied her. "I already know _how_ you intended to do it. How close were you?"

"You got doused during those riots. How much extra magic do you _think_ I had to bring you back from that?" Fuku glared at you, unsatisfied with your answer. "Fine. Maybe a week? It isn't easy to pin exact times with overloads."

Fuku choked, eyes starting to fill. "So I almost lost you, and I didn't even know it?" You didn't respond. _This_ question, you knew was rhetorical. "What changed?"

You shrugged. "You guys stayed. My magic had never brought me anything good until then. At least, nothing that brought me any happiness." You corrected. "But you guys were so happy, I figured maybe it was worth waiting it out."

You were suddenly engulfed by warm, fiery arms. You patted Fuku on the back as she sobbed into your pajama tank.

It was similar to the position Grillby had you in back then. He had hugged both Fuku and you _so hard…_ It had been a first for you. When non-mage humans found out about your magic, they tended to distance themselves. When monsters found out, you never heard from them again.

Grillby had saved you then, and you doubted he'd ever known it.

* * *

A loud banging woke you in the morning. After a moment, you realized someone was knocking at the door. Seriously? Who wanted to disturb you at…six a.m. on a Saturday morning?

It took you a few seconds to detangle yourself from Fuku's grasp. She was really clingy in her sleep. Not that you were one to talk; you were just as bad. She groaned at the loss, and grasped for the empty space you had previously filled.

How could one person _be_ so cute? You set a pillow inside her reach before briskly walking down the hallway to the main room. You almost tripped over a stack of Fuku's boxes on the way. The knocking started up again just as you reached the door. With all the irritation of someone who'd just been woken up, you wrenched it open and glared out.

A yellow, clawed hand was right at eye level to you. Alphys dropped it back to her side, taking a moment to inspect you before a large grin broke out over her face. Next to her, Undyne stood, holding a colorfully wrapped box of her own.

"Guys, housewarming parties don't occur before _dawn_." You complained, standing aside so the two could come in.

"DID THEY ANSWER YET?" An excited voice called from the street. Seriously?

You stomped outside and lifted the top gift from the stack Sans was carrying. It was a bit heavy, but it didn't irritate your shoulder at all, so you locked your gaze on him, one eyebrow raised. Like Alphys had before, your friend gave you a full once over. "You're going to wake up the whole neighborhood, you guys." You stated loudly enough for your houseguests to hear you as you turned to walk back inside.

"Damn, Punk. You've got a lot of moxie to be walking around outside like that." Alphys whistled, impressed. You set the box you were holding down just inside before turning back around to ask.

Undyne had turned her beautiful purple color again, and Sans, blushing heavily, seemed to absolutely refuse to look at you again. What? You looked down at yourself.

Your face lit up like a cherry tomato. You were wearing your _summer_ pajamas. They were made to only _just_ cover enough, since the weather tended to get unbearably hot. Which was fine…around Fuku. Maybe even Undyne and Alphys. They were _girls_.

Something Sans, notably, was not.

You let out an embarrassed squeak before dashing back down the hall to Fuku's room, tripping over that dangerous box on the way. A pained grunt escaped from your lips as you landed just inside Fuku's door. One that, sadly, woke her up.

"Wha…?" Fuku groggily gazed around the room until her eyes landed on you, dominant hand pressing on your shoulder as if the pressure would make the pain stop. "What happened _?" The fire elemental demanded, covering the distance between you in less than a second.

"I just tripped over a box. It'll be fine." You assured her as her hands hovered cautiously over your form. "Seriously. It didn't reopen or anything. We have guests." You informed her, reaching over to your bag to find some clothes.

She still paused for a minute to watch you warily before slipping out of her own pajamas and into clothes.

The blush had almost faded from Sans's face when the two of you remerged into the front room. It vaguely made you wonder: was he blushing _for_ you, or _because_ of you? Embarrassedly, you realized that you hoped it was the second option.

A flash of blue dragged you gaze to Fuku, who was checking her phone. "Muffet will be here soon." She told you, interrupting your question. You felt the smile spreading across your face as your other friends exchanged confused glances.

"Does this mean she's officially your girlfriend then?" you demanded, grasping Fuku's hands and holding them captive with your own. "I mean, I got the date rundown, but you didn't tell me about any future stuff!"

Someone behind you let out an amused snort, but you were far too interested in Fuku's answer to admonish them for it. "We…might be…" You tugged on her captive hands, bringing her closer to you. She was slightly taller than you, so the dark look you gave her seemed a bit less intimidating, but it got your point across. "Yes! We are, you cretin! We're just in the beginning stages though; why are you making me do this?"

"So excited!" You shouted, forgetting that the door was still open.

"About what, Dearie?" Muffet inquired, poking her head through the entryway.

"You and Fuku's relationship status!" You answered thoughtlessly, pointing at the monster vivaciously in your elation.

There was a long, silent pause before she smiled. Shifting her gaze to her girlfriend, Muffet stepped inside, saying, "I'm glad you have such a good friend, Dear." The lack of that 'ie' at the end really made a world of difference.

"Sorry we don't have the place a little more put together for you guys. I can run to the grocery store for some food." You offered.

"THAT'S OKAY, _. WE BROUGHT SOME DISHES. ALSO, ASGORE SAID HE WOULD DROP BY WITH SOME FOOD LATER, SINCE CHARA WANTED TO COME. I'LL GO FETCH THE FOOD FROM THE CAR."

"Okie then. More surprise guests. Anybody else I should know about?" As if on cue, your phone buzzed in your pocket. Who'd been listening in?

"Pa-papyrus was going t-to c-come later. H-he said th-this was t-too early." Sans confirmed this as he walked back in, arms filled with bowls.

"I've no doubt. _I_ think it's too early." You replied as you flipped your phone open. A text from Jamie congratulated you on the new place and demanded pictures. Rolling your eyes, you sauntered to the kitchen for some breakfast.

Papyrus, Asgore, Toriel, and Chara showed up around ten, bearing gifts and lunch. Grillby was only about ten minutes behind them.

Muffet gifted the two of you an entire set of baking pans, a whisk, a rubber spatula, and two mixing bowls. Grillby supplemented your cooking needs with a full set of pans and saucepans, two more spatulas, assorted cooking spoons, and a cutting board.

Chara gifted you small, framed paintings to decorate the walls. Asgore ended up lugging in his gift through the front door: a slightly used burgundy couch and matching recliner. Toriel gifted you a dark grey area rug and a matching runner.

Undyne brought a collection of anime and a DVD player. Apparently, Sans had told Alphys of your plans for the backyard, since she gifted you both several yard games.

Papyrus's haphazardly wrapped gift contained a funny doormat that said "come in" when you looked at it from one direction, and "go away" when you viewed it from the other. Also included was a small card with your name on it. Inside was a hastily scrawled ' _Sorry for being an ass to you'._ Honestly, it was more than you'd thought you were going to get. You had a feeling Sans had made him write it. Sans had several contributions including a cookbook, a throw blanket decorated with bones, a toothbrush holder, and a five-hundred-piece puzzle picturing a kitten playing with a ball of yarn.

Several of them headed out to the yard to set up a game of ladder toss as your phone buzzed again. You excused yourself to the kitchen before tugging your phone out of your pocket to check the message.

You slammed the phone down onto the counter, dropping your head into your hands. That noise seemed to summon your friends. "What's wrong? _?" Fuku's voice reached you first, slipping into the kitchen right afterward, closely followed by Undyne and Muffet.

"Sorry." You mumbled, not lifting your head.

"What is it, Dearie? You don't seem like the type to keep things to yourself." Muffet inquired politely. It must be hard, trying to comfort your girlfriend's bestie when you hardly knew her.

"My parents are coming to town tomorrow to check out the place and visit." You stated evenly. "A bit more warning would be nice."

All three paused for a moment. "I-is that a-a bad th-thing? F-family is im-important." Undyne stuttered to you. It shouldn't be bad, but…

"Kind of. It's complicated." You weren't quite sure how to tell them why you were unhappy about it. Fuku spun your phone to face her and opened it, reading the most recent messages.

"Wait. This wording is odd." She interrupted her girlfriend, who'd been about to speak again. "Why do your parents think…?"

"It's a _very_ complicated situation." You emphasized, hoping she wouldn't press you.

It turns out, Fuku wouldn't, but Undyne would. "Your p-parents don't know you-you're a mage?" And, there it was. Your head dropped to the counter, effectively cutting off your vision of the rest of the room, as well as their reactions, as you groaned.

"No." You whined. "They don't." None of them answered you. Not that you could blame them; if the situations were reversed, you wouldn't know what to say either. For mages, whose magic made up a good portion of who they were, it was ludicrous that the closest people in the world didn't even know about it.

Then Muffet asked why. How could you even explain this awkward set of circumstances? You had no idea.

Your parents disapproved of magic, strongly. Ironic, considering that all three of their children had turned out to be mages. Their disapproval was dangerous, however. Both in potentially causing children to overload from suppressing their power, and in the more physical sense.

To protect everyone involved, the three of you had been handed over to the academy, and your parents' memories wiped. For the time that they were clueless about you and your siblings' magic, they'd turned super-doting.

"What's happening, Punks?" Alphys loud voice boomed through the silent house.

"Nothing!" You called back, still trying to piece your words together. For now, explanations would have to wait. "Let's go play."

* * *

Though her introduction to you was quite a bit late, you had certainly left an impression on Muffet. It was hard not to, with how much Fuku talked about you. It might have made her jealous if Fuku hadn't clarified your relationship for her.

Having met you, she understood.

Muffet had been wary, especially hearing that you were a mage. Fuku gave you such a vote of confidence, though, that she had reserved judgement. You clearly didn't come without your own problems, but you seemed harmless enough.

You also had potentially presented a large hurdle for the budding relationship. It was impossible to get by without getting along with her girlfriend's best friend. Difficult if said friend didn't approve. This was just a simple rule of relationships.

You approved, though. You seemed to value Fuku's happiness more than just about anything, elated when she and Fuku did anything intimate. _That_ made Muffet like you.


	13. Visitation

Your new mattress lay on the floor of your loft-room. You hadn't bothered getting a frame yet, since you wanted a good one rather than flimsy metal bits. Beside it sat a wooden chest, into which you'd put most of your clothes until you found a dresser you liked.

Atop the chest sat your phone, open and displaying a very frustrating message. _Hey sweetie, your father and I want to come visit and see your new place. Your job must be treating you well to already afford one, even with a roommate. We'll be staying in the hotel near your neighborhood for the night. I'm not sure why you want to stay in such a magic infested place, but I suppose it's your choice. You're old enough to make your own decisions. See you tomorrow! - Love Mom-_

You had tried to explain the situation to Fuku and Grillby, who would be present for their visit. You had kept it as simple as you possibly could. Grillby wore a disapproving expression, but it wasn't directed at you.

Despite the summer heat, you'd dragged on a long-sleeved shirt. There was no explaining away being shot, and you really didn't want to deal with it. You matched it with short-shorts and knee-high socks capable of easily hiding your mage-mark even if they bunched a bit.

You were certain you would broil before the day was done if you left it like this.

Heading downstairs, you grabbed a marker from the cup on the counter and rolled up your sleeve past your elbow. You still didn't have the energy to sequence without drawing the markings out first.

Fuku and Grillby watched with interest. They knew, without seeing it in practice, that sequencing was a form of unspecialized magic that could produce any effect as long as the user did it right. It also tended to backlash dangerously if they didn't.

As you finished drawing the symbols on your arm, Fuku piped up. "You must be really confident, to draw those where you can barely reach." There was a touch of worry in her voice.

You smiled reassuringly at her. "I didn't spend a decade and a half in the Academy with nothing to show for it." The symbols on your arm turned blue as you eased your magic into them, bringing your body temperature back down to a comfortable level.

A knock at the front door made you jerk your sleeve back into place, covering the active magical glow. "Is that fine?" Grilly inquired as you headed for the door.

"They won't notice." You responded, giving yourself a final check before opening the door. Your parents weren't quite as tall as you remembered, but perhaps that had less to do with their actual height and more to do with your perception of them. "Welcome to Ebott, Mother. Father." You stepped aside to let them in.

Your parents' reactions to your roommate and boss were about as you expected, and had forewarned them about. They scrunched their faces as your friend and boss came into view, but made no outward effort to be hostile or derogatory.

"This is my roommate, and best friend, Fuku." You introduced, moving to stand between the two separate parties. "And this is Grillby, my boss and Fuku's d- father." Your father would throw a hissy fit if you were willing to say the word 'dad' but still wouldn't call him it. You repeated the introduction process for Fuku and Grillby.

"It's a pleasure." Grillby stated professionally.

"Likewise." You father returned, sizing up the two elementals. "_, sweetie, how about a tour?" You flinched at the nickname, suddenly glad that neither of your parents were actually looking at you.

You hated when your parents called you that. Memories of much worse times flashed through your mind quickly before you could stop them. _They don't remember_. You scolded yourself, recovering as quickly as you could as they turned to you.

"Of course. We don't have much furniture yet, so if you need to sit or anything you can use the couch in here. Down the hall this way are Fuku's and the guest's bedrooms and the bathroom…" You led them out of the front room, hoping against hope that the tension would dissolve.

It didn't.

Your father took the time to look at the plumbing and electrical work, something you hadn't bothered with, while your mother inspected paint jobs and tile placements. Was this how normal people found houses?

Noon came quickly, and with it an escape from your parents' constant attention as you slipped into the kitchen to cook some food. You weren't sure what to make, as you'd just grabbed some hamburger out of the freezer that morning.

A familiar grin flashed through your head, relaxing you a little as you settled on tacos. It was a simple enough meal to make. Fuku joined you shortly after you started, dicing some onions to cook in with the meat. "We don't really have seasonings yet, but this should flavor it nicely." She commented, obviously avoiding something that was on her mind.

"Too bad we don't have anything for sauce. You okay?" You questioned as your three houseguests filtered in to the dining room to sit at your fold-up table. Fuku didn't answer you. "Do you want to talk about it?"

You mother interrupted whatever it was she was going to say, a fact that made you more than a little irritated. "What's for lunch, Sweetie?" You still flinched. You're certain Grillby notices this time, as he immediately fixes his gaze on you.

"Tacos, Mother. We're making tacos." You replied, turning to slice the tomatoes. You decided to leave a few slices as a garnish. They were nice to eat by themselves, after all.

"No side dish?" You father chided, clearly displeased with your choice. You tensed to stop yourself from reacting to that tone. Once upon a time, you would have run for the closet if you heard either of your parents speak like that. _They don't remember!_ You growled at yourself again, moving to shred the lettuce.

"I didn't think of it." You stated from between clenched teeth. Not reacting to your parents was _hard_. "What would you like?"

"It's fine, Sweetie." Your mother responded, lightly slapping your father on the arm in scolding. "How about after lunch, we go get some more furniture for you? We haven't had the chance to spoil you in years."

Getting them out of the house sounded like a great idea. You and Fuku plated two tacos per person, with an extra tomato slice for looks, and set them on the table to eat. You headed back to grab some glasses of water for t you and your parents, turning to find your father salting your tomato for you.

You set the glasses down and sat, gazing at your ruined tomato solemnly. You _liked_ eating tomato slices…just not with salt. Wordlessly, a fiery hand swiped it from your plate, leaving an unsoiled one in its place. Grillby sent you a smirk when you gazed at him incredulously, salted tomato gone. Presumably being magically digested.

"What was that?" You father growled, offended.

"_ dislikes salt on tomatoes." The elemental answered simply. You hadn't known he even remembered that. You nodded dumbly in confirmation when he turned to you.

You father shot a confounded look at his wife, who looked just as lost. The rest of lunch was almost painfully silent.

Your tacos weren't as good as Sans's.

* * *

Going shopping was all well and good, but what did you even _want_? A dining table and chairs sprung to mind, but any good one would be hundreds of dollars. Maybe a small television so you could hook up the DVD player, but that had the same problem. You couldn't find one for less than a hundred, and that was too small.

Entertainment center? You could probably find a sturdy one for about eighty bucks. Bookshelf? Same thing. What would go well with your burgundy furniture? Apple-wood maybe?

You wandered over to check the available wood colors of the bookshelves and entertainment centers. Your mother wandered with you. It wasn't hard for her to deduce what you were looking at, as you had to keep jumping between the two aisles to see if any of them matched.

You had almost settled on one when your mother finally spoke up. "Are you sure about this? Living with monsters…We have room back home you know, right?"

Your hand twitched on the wood. "Please stop, Mother." It took every ounce of willpower you contained to keep the fury out of your voice. "They're amazing, and they've helped me more than you could ever know. Probably more than _I_ could ever know."

"Sweetie, you don't owe anyone-."

"That has nothing to do with it, but _yes. I do owe them_. It's a debt I can never repay, not that they'll ever let me." You stared at the knot in the grain in front of you to keep you from turning to look at her. "But I moved in with Fuku because she's _my best friend_. Just like Eve did when _she_ moved out. It's not different just because she isn't human."

You could feel your magic starting to rise up in response to your emotional state. Wrestling it back, you found your neutral self and gripped her as hard as you metaphorically could. "Very well." She quipped in response.

Your father chose the ensuing silence as the perfect time to come strolling back to the two of you, with a cheerful, "Did she pick one yet?"

You finally turned, noting the agitated expression on your mother's face, as well as the 42" screen television your father was carrying. It occurred to you then that you had been the only one looking at price tags.

* * *

Grillby was sitting at your fold up table inspecting paperwork when something odd caught his eye. He sent a questioning glance to his daughter, asking, "Why is everything in only your name? I thought _ paid for it?"

His already irate daughter flared crimson as she paused in her task. "You know how mages aren't considered citizens Dad. They don't have property rights. If we were going to put it in her name, we would have to go through the government paperwork at the Academy."

Fuku went back to hanging curtains angrily as Grillby dropped his head into his hands. You. How in the seven hells were you so _happy_ all the time? Every situation surrounding you seemed so negative. You didn't even own your own house, that _you_ had paid for _in full._

Even your parents. Your anxiety and panic had come through loud and clear all morning. He almost managed to make out some of your fearful memories, but you had shoved them away so hard, your Soul had actually quieted both times it had happened. You'd never done that before.

You hadn't made it out to be such a big deal in your explanation, but there was definite bad history there. Apparently, a history that your parents had also forgotten, as you so frequently reminded yourself. What terrors were hiding in your past?

If that was your experience with parental figures, he was honored you'd subconsciously chosen _him_ as a surrogate. It would be something you would be extremely hesitant to do, and certainly only with a person you truly trusted. You must hold him in especially high regard. Grillby just hoped he deserved it.

Even if you hadn't quite admitted it aloud yet.


	14. Magic Lessons

It was a rather sudden phone call. You were enjoying your Sunday off, snoozing the hours away. Things had calmed down since your parents had left two weeks ago, and you were taking some much-needed downtime.

That factory set ring on your phone had woken you from your dozing. It was a number you didn't recognize.

A deep, booming voice greeted you as you answered. "_, child, I must ask a favor of you." Oh. Asgore.

"Sure, I'll do it." You replied instantly.

Asgore paused for a few seconds. "I…Child, you haven't even heard what it is yet." He said it in a hesitating manner, as if it was a question.

"If it makes you feel better, I'll agree again after you tell me whatever it is." You informed him flippantly.

Asgore hesitated again before continuing. "Well…Something has come up and I need someone to watch Chara for the day. I usually ask Sans, but he's busy at the moment."

"Sure, I'll do it." You repeated. "Do you want me at your place, or are you bringing them here?"

"Oh no. Don't trouble yourself, child. We'll be over shortly." You let the phone fall away from your face as you got in one last minute of relaxation.

You groaned getting out of bed. Not even three seconds gone and already it was calling for you again. It was fine. You'd been dozing all weekend, since your friends were mysteriously busy. You finally slipped out of your pajamas into some real clothes.

Padding downstairs, you opened the front door before lazily heading to the kitchen to whip together a suitable lunch. Hot dogs sounded great.

You were just putting them on two plates for you and Chara when you were tackled into the counter. A quick glance down told you that the child had taken your open invitation to come in.

You held their plate out to them and motioned to the table, where you'd set out several condiments. E-A-T U-P. You signed. They obliged, dashing over to prepare their buns as Asgore entered the room.

"Thank you for doing this on such short notice." He told you politely.

"It's no problem. I wasn't doing anything. Any rules I should know?" You inquired.

Asgore paused for a moment. "I would appreciate if the two of you stay here. Please don't go out anywhere."

That was an odd rule, you thought, but you readily agreed, clarifying that your privacy fenced backyard was free game. It was. After hesitating for a moment more, Asgore left abruptly. You heard the door shut behind him.

S-O. W-H-A-T W-O-U-L-D Y-O-U L-I-K-E T-O D-O. You slowly signed, finally not fumbling over your letters after two weeks' practice. Chara responded simply by pulling out a folder from their bag, opening it to a sheet full of math. H-A-V-E-N-T F-I-N-I-S-H-E-D H-O-M-E-W-O-R-K Y-E-T. You signed, tilting your head in question.

Chara shook their head and sped through the rest of the questions on the sheet while you cleaned up your plates. When you headed back to the table, Chara handed you a note. _'Just talk. I'll write. You're doing better, but this is quicker._ '

"Are you sure?" You questioned. Chara nodded their head, slipping their now-finished homework back into their bag. "So, anything else you want to do?"

Chara scribbled again quickly before shoving another note at you. ' _I want to learn to sequence so I can use my magic.'_

You stared at the paper for a minute. "You should learn your specialty before sequencing. Why can't you use your magic?"

Chara sighed, writing again. ' _I promised not to reset or rewind time again.'_

You slammed your hand down on the sheet. "Don't ever promise not to use your magic." You scolded immediately. "You know what that leads to." Chara looked properly admonished. Calming quickly, you continued, "Am I right in the assumption that you gained your specialty in the Underground?"

Chara nodded, meeting your eyes.

You sighed. Human magic worked differently than monsters' magic, and you doubted any human mage had bothered to teach the child after their emergence.

"Time magic works in many more ways than just returning to temporal points. Creating and erasing them takes a lot of magic. I assume that's how you've been using your magic, other than unspecialized?"

A note found its way under your nose. With a sigh, you grabbed it. ' _I can erase them?'_

"Of course." You told them, surprised. "Don't tell me you can maintain that many temporal locks; there's no way."

They stole back their last note, scribbling on it again before shoving it back to you. _'I still have the first save. I just overwrite the second one.'_ You smiled at the video game terminology. ' _I don't know how to get rid of it.'_

"Disclaimer: I am not a time mage. I can teach you what I know time magic can do, but it'll still be a lot of trial and error. Let start simpler and tackle your temporal locks later."

So, you started small. As small as you were aware of anyway. Stopping time for small objects and then restarting it. You held out a pen, telling Chara to stop time for it. They concentrated on the object.

You dropped it when they nodded. It fell. With a smile, you picked it back up to repeat the process. Turning to the frustrated child, you assured them, "Magic is _hard_. You aren't going to get it on the first try, Chara."

I D-I-D B-E-F-O-R-E. The signed angrily.

You sighed. "When you specialized, right? That magic was instinctual. It reacted to protect you. It's why it remains easy for you, even though you don't really understand it. This is different. You have to consciously work up to the level where you barely have to think about it. _You_ are doing it instead of your magic."

' _But I'm using my magic to do it.'_

"Your magic is a part of you, kind of like a muscle. You know what reflexes are, right?" At their nod you continued. "Some reflexes, like eyes dilating and that knee kick when a doctor bonks it, are so natural that you don't even need to do anything for it to happen. You can forcefully activate them, once you learn the trigger. They're made to keep you alive. Your magic too; that's how people specialize without a choice or ceremony like you and me. Other reflexes, like swinging a bat at a ball, are trained. That's what we need to do. You need to find that muscle and train it."

You picked up the pen again and stood. Chara closed their eyes for a moment. You waited silently until they nodded. The pen fell.

An hour later, you set the pen on the table. _'I understand how to do it.'_ Chara wrote. _'It just feels so awkward._ '

Hmm. Maybe forcing a reflex was the way to go in this situation. If they truly understood how it worked, perhaps the biggest problem was subconsciously not believing it _should_ work. If they didn't have time to think, it would be a success.

You needed something breakable.

You filled up two glasses with water, setting one on the counter. You made to deliver the second to the young mage, tripping on the way and launching the object into the air.

It froze an inch from the ground.

Chara stared at their outstretched hand with wonder, inspecting the floating object. You gently wrapped your fingers around the glass again, feeling the magic coursing through it slowly subside. The water, when released, finished the sloshing motion it had been in, splashing over the tile floor harmlessly.

Instantly, the child was writing. _'Did you do that on purpose? I did it! Why did the water still splash?'_

You laughed. "You did indeed." You agreed. "So, the water had momentum from the fall. The glass too, but that wasn't as visible. You didn't take that momentum away, only paused it. When time resumes for an object, it continues as it was unless something interferes, like me grabbing the glass."

Chara got it after that. Several floating objects later, Chara wandered back to the table to write.

 _'What's next?'_ They asked. You shook your head. So eager, as opposed to before.

You tossed a pen in an arc and it froze. "Rewind it." You told them, leaving your palm outstretched. It clattered to the floor, finishing its arc, as Chara stared at you, wide eyed.

I P-R-O-M-I-S-E-D. They signed at you.

"You're not returning to a temporal lock, although once we erase the ones you promised not to go back to it should be irrelevant. You're reversing time for a single object, Chara." You explained patiently. After a few seconds, they nodded. "Let's try again."

Chara was confused when you didn't move to grab the pen again, instead just holding out your hand as if you expected it to be there. You could see when it dawned on them what you wanted.

Haltingly, as if they kept pausing and rewinding alternately, the object lifted back into the air. Unlike telekinesis, it didn't shake or wobble, instead following the exact same arc it had taken on the way down before landing in your hand.

You smiled. "You're understanding your magic better, to get it on the second try." You complimented them.

They shot you the first genuine smile you'd seen from them.

* * *

Toriel couldn't believe her eyes when she and Asgore walked in to pick Chara up. Since they'd finished their business together, they had agreed to come greet the child the same way: together. Asgore had paused in your open doorway for a few second before moving aside so the she could see in.

Several objects were flying in specific paths through the air, surrounded in Chara's red magic. You were adding to it by moving around the room and tossing more random unbreakables.

It had been ages since the child had actively used their magic. How had you done this?

Asgore greeted the two of you cheerily, eyes not moving from Chara. The tired child gathered the objects back up and set them on the couch before answering him. The red glow in their eye was dimmer than Toriel had ever seen it.

You laid your hand on their head to ruffle their hair, hand glowing blue. It disappeared by the time Chara looked up at you, as if you were hiding what you were doing from the child. When Chara turned back to them, their mage-mark was brighter again.

Ah. You were lending your own power so the child could practice safely. Chara turned to sign something at you, and your soul lit up the room with joy. "Sure thing. Next time, Kiddo." You replied aloud with a wink.

Chara immediately engulfed you in a hug, and the queen was left flabbergasted again. Except for their circle of friends, Chara didn't show affection for _anyone_. Not even their own, human family. A side glance at her husband revealed a knowing smile on his face.

What was it about you?


	15. Unhealthy Promises

Exams. Why were exams a thing? You leaned back in your chair, groaning as you rubbed your eyes. Fuku sent you an amused glance from across the table before going back to her own textbooks.

You were acing your classes, and knew all the material you'd learned. Why were exams so conducive to fretting over? There was nothing you could study that you didn't already understand, so why were you so adamant to do so?

You stretched your arms, finally able to get your non-dominant one all the way over your head without pain. It wasn't a full range of motion yet, but it was certainly getting there. A clawed hand plucked the textbook out of your hand as you leaned back.

Alphys stood before you, a terrifying grin on her face. "Well, Punk, your day has come." She informed you, dragging you out of your chair and haphazardly tossing the textbook back onto the table with your others.

"Wait, wait! What day?" You questioned, trying to get your feet beneath you in order to follow properly.

Alphys stopped to open your front door as Fuku waved goodbye, turning a page in her study guide. "Did you forget? Training, Punk!"

You yanked your arm back as she tried to drag you outside. She looked about to protest until you bent down to pull your shoes on. A little physical activity sounded wonderful just then.

Alphys took off down the street with a cackle. You jogged along, keeping up without too much trouble. After about twenty minutes of jogging, Alphys turned the two of you into a park where Sans, Chara, and Papyrus were waiting.

You slowed down, waving to your friends. Enjoying your progress, you signed a proper 'hello' to the child. Their face lit up as they ran to you, engulfing you in a hug with Sans only a couple of steps behind. "Long time no see, Kiddo. How's it, Sans?

"I AM DOING WELL, _. WE ARE WATCHING CHARA TODAY, SO PAPY WILL KEEP AN EYE ON THEM WHILE YOU TRAIN WITH US." Sans responded, explaining the situation. You turned to Chara.

Chara's hands flew, but you only caught the sign for 'books'. When you explained this, they finger spelled, B-E-C-A-U-S-E Y-O-U W-E-R-E L-O-S-T I-N and repeated the 'books' sign. With a laugh, you apologized. I-M G-E-T-T-I-N-G B-E-T-T-E-R.

"You'll have to show me later, after training. Got that time-stopping down?" You asked them with a wink.

Papyrus's vehement "what?" almost distracted you from Chara nodding their head. You turned to find the skeleton glaring at the two of you. "you're teaching them magic?" He demanded.

"I wouldn't call it teaching." You replied immediately. You weren't Chara's teacher. Chara's eyes turned to you knowingly. "Definitely practicing together though."

Sans interrupted whatever Papyrus was going to say next. "TODAY WILL BE MOSTLY WORKING OUT SO WE CAN SEE HOW FIT YOU ARE."

Well, that would get your mind off of exams. You should have asked your friends to distract you earlier. Before they could tell you what to do, you fell into some simple stretches. You were nice and warmed up after that jog, so it was a perfect time.

They really brought their A-game for you. They started off by running around the park twelve times -three miles. Following that was several core exercises, like crunches and leg lifts. Then came sprint races. You could beat Alphys, but Sans trounced you.

You severely slowed down when it came to the arm exercises, wary of your still-healing shoulder. Neither of your trainers complained, probably aware of what you were doing. It gave you a chance to breathe.

It also gave you the chance to gaze around. You enjoyed the scenery until your eyes landed on the two lazy butts not working out. Why was Papyrus scolding Chara?

You had stood and were walking over before you even realized what you were doing. A quiet, "you promised," hissed by Papyrus was all you needed to know what was going on. This was ending, _now_.

You caught Papyrus's bony wrist in your hand, dragging him along behind you in his surprise, thoroughly confusing Alphys and Sans. You moved far enough away that the two of you could speak quietly and not be heard.

"what the hell?" Papyrus demanded, trying to yank his arm from your, admittedly sweaty, grasp. You tightened it in response.

"Someone needs to talk to you." You began seriously. "And all things considered, I guess that someone is me." Monster magic pulsed under your grip, but you ignored it, finally turning to look at Papyrus. A quick glance told you that Sans and Alphys had moved to stand with Chara since you'd stolen their guardian away.

"let go." He growled, an orange glow growing in his eye-socket.

" _No."_ you took a breath to calm yourself. "Look, I get it. You guys don't know much about human mages. You might _think_ you do, since monsters have magic too, but _we don't work the same way_." Papyrus stopped struggling, eying you in confusion. " _Never_ , _ever_ ask a human mage not to use their magic." You emphasized.

"you don't understa-."

"I probably do, actually." You interrupted. "Chara is a time mage whose specialization allowed them to make and return to temporal locks. If I'm reading this correctly, _you_ can remember what happened in those times that never existed. It's a sucky feeling, knowing that everything is just gone over and over."

"so, you-."

You interrupted again. "That does _not_ excuse trying to give them a _death sentence_." You hissed at him. His jaw snapped shut audibly, finally ready to listen to you. "I've already had to explain this before, so I know you don't know about it. That is the only reason I'll excuse this stupid promise you forced Chara to make. Humans can't just _ignore_ their magic. If they do, the magic will keep building up until it literally explodes. Yes, it is fatal."

Papyrus opened and closed his jaw several times, grasping for something to say. Despite the fact you were willing to listen this time, the skeleton couldn't seem to summon any words.

"You're lucky they found something else to use their magic on these past six years. If they hadn't, either they would be dead, or you would be right back at that starting point." You finally released his wrist. "Chara is trying to erase that first temporal lock you don't want them to go back to. In order to do that, they need to learn to use their magic better. _You_ are going to release them from this stupid promise, or it will keep them from learning properly."

Still seeming at a loss for what to say, Papyrus nodded dumbly before turning to walk back to the others. He paused a few steps away. "how long would it take?"

"To overload? It depends on the person, but generally a few months."

He turned to look at you again. It was as if he had just realized something. "You seem to know quite a bit about it. And you're pretty invested."

You waved a hand at him dismissively. "Overloading is explained to mages when we're elementary school age. We all know about it." _Can't say you're wrong though,_ you thought.

You turned to walk back to where you had been working out as he returned to Chara. Sans and Alphys met you there without a word, despite their obvious curiosity. "Where were we guys?"

"It's all good, Punk. I've got a pretty good idea of your fitness level." Alphys informed you. "Not too bad, for a human that doesn't work a physical job."

You begged to differ on that point. Waitressing was a _very_ physical job. You did, however, concede that it didn't involve much running.

"INDEED. YOU ARE MUCH MORE FIT THAN WE EXPECTED." Sans informed you, his usual grin a bit strained. "IT SEEMS, FOR THE MOST PART, YOU JUST HAVE TO LEARN TO FIGHT."

You flinched a little. When they said _training_ , it was so easy to forget exactly what it was they wanted to teach you. Still, they weren't wrong. Especially lately, it seemed you had become a magnet for trouble.

Sans laid a hand on your shoulder. "WE KNOW, _. BUT WE ALL WANT YOU TO BE SAFE." He informed you seriously.

You chuckled. "Guess I'm pretty easy to read, huh?"

"YOU HAVE NO IDEA!" Sans shouted, barely covering up the same sentence from the other two monsters present. Even Chara chipped in with sign. I-T-S B-E-C-A-U-S-E Y-O-U-R-E I-N-T-E-G-R-I-T-Y.

"Huh? Integrity? What's that mean?" You questioned.

Y-O-U-R S-O-U-L I-S B-L-U-E. L-I-K-E Y-O-U-R M-A-G-I-C. B-L-U-E M-E-A-N-S I-N-T-E-G-R-I-T-Y. The child signed back as the three monsters looked away in embarrassment.

"Oh. Your Soul would be red then, right? What's that mean?" You questioned, easily catching on.

"Chara's Soul represents 'determination'." Alphys answered for them. "You've been around monsters this long and don't know about Souls, Punk?"

You paused. "Is it something you guys normally talk about?" All of them hesitated. You guessed the answer was no. You shrugged. "If I have this right, Souls are a thing that can tell you what kind of person someone is?"

"more than that. the soul is the culmination of your being. it's everything you are."

"So almost like the human definition without the religious connotation? And colors mean separate traits then." You mused, beginning to understand. "I suppose it makes sense that it's the same color as someone's magic."

Alphys seemed to relax as you took the information well. Sans still hesitated though. "I GUESS HUMANS AREN'T AS CLOSE TO THEIR SOULS AS WE ARE. YOUR SOUL IS PRETTY, JUST LIKE YOU." He announced.

You felt your face heat up. Sans had just called you pretty. Your Soul too, whatever that meant. You doubted he was trying to flirt, but it still made you turn cherry red as his words echoed in your mind.

Trying to recover, you motioned at him. "You're pretty handsome yourself." You informed him before mentally screaming at yourself. _Why am I flirting with him?_

His cheeks turned blue and your revenge was complete.

Was that all there was to it, though?

* * *

Overloading. That's what you had called it. He had just thought the kid had broken their promise the last time. Papyrus hadn't even listened when they tried to explain themselves. It hadn't occurred to him until your forceful explanation just how different magic was between humans and monsters.

It had been _his_ fault that time had turned back again. Chara had tried to keep their promise, and it had killed them. He'd been so upset, he'd forced them to reset again as he took out his frustration, and it had been _his fault_ the whole time.

He supposed he count the small blessing that you didn't know it.

You. Who knew you had the kind of moxie to drag him off and lecture him, even with his magic pulsing right beneath the surface ready to attack. You had known it too; you just hadn't cared. He'd known you for a few months now, and you'd never been so forward before.

Although, considering the subject matter…

He didn't know what to say as he strolled back up to Chara. How the hell could he apologize for something like _that_? _hey kid, sorry our promise killed you? sorry i killed you again?_ Right. Like that would do it.

"overloading, huh?" was what came out of his mouth. He almost cursed at himself for his stupidity. After this large of a screw-up, was he trying to seriously project blame elsewhere?

Chara gazed at him knowingly. You had projected during that talk, but as a human there was no way Chara could've sensed it. Perhaps they just knew how to read you. 'Don't worry about it.' The child mage signed at him.

"dammit, kid. at least let me apologize." Papyrus complained.

Chara smiled. 'You're forgiven. I should have explained it better.'

What even _was_ this kid? There was no way, were their roles reversed, that he would have forgiven so easily. He tried to talk again, but Chara had turned their attention to _you_.


	16. Legal Trouble

You smiled into the mailbox, retrieving the two envelopes inside. Exams were over, and final grades were finally in. You called a greeting to your neighbor as he blearily stepped outside to grab his daily paper. Poor guy worked the night shift.

You barely noticed his grumpy reply as you bounded back into the house. Fuku glanced up as you exuberantly reentered the house, grinning when she saw what you were holding. "Time to see if you maintained that four-point-o from last semester?" She questioned.

"Yep. Than we can get ready for purging." As it was the last Friday of the month, it was time to deep clean the house. It was something the two of you had agreed on early.

You handed her the appropriate envelope and prepared yourself. The two of you ripped them open at the same time and tugged out the precious papers inside.

You cheered, flinging your fists into the air, one decidedly higher than the other. Top marks. All that fretting over exams was _really_ silly. A quick glance at Fuku told you that she was pleased with her marks as well. You glanced over her shoulder to look.

Scanning the paper quickly, you found the small box containing her GPA. Three-point-seven. It was excellent, considering that college was the first human school system she had ever attended.

"Let's get to work then." You said, tying your hair back with a kerchief. The bathroom and kitchen were your zones, since their cleaning involved copious amounts of water. You set to work scrubbing the tile walls.

* * *

It was an hour later, in the midst of mopping the floor, that Fuku shouted at you to answer your phone. You dropped the implement and headed to the kitchen table where the two of you had deposited the devices.

Asgore was calling. "Heya." You answered cheerily. He had called several times since that first occurrence to see if you could babysit again, which honestly just turned into a magic tutoring session every time.

This call was much less pleasant. "I need your help." His desperate voice reached your ears.

You listened closely, cursing as you realized what was wrong. You gave a quick shout to Fuku before running out of the door, phone already dialing again.

When you got to the park, Chara was cowering Asgore as he spoke with an enforcer. Standing across from them were three boys standing proudly by their mothers, sticking their tongues out at your friends.

"Who's this now?" The exasperated officer demanded as you walked up. In answer, you simply held out your identification card. "You their tutor, or what?" he questioned, handing it back quickly.

You paused. "Their teacher. We just haven't done the ceremony yet." You internally cringed, despite the fact it really wasn't a lie. If you looked at it objectively, you were only really missing that step in your relationship.

"A bit young for that, aren't you?" He demanded.

Putting on your most offended expression, you straightened. "Excuse me? Did you even _read_ my mage ID?" The enforcer stuttered. You hated doing this. "I'm a rank seven healer. Are you trying to tell me I'm not qualified?"

"I can't accept you as counsel or anything unless that ceremony has been done." He sputtered, grasping for anything to get you away from this case.

A tug on your sleeve caught your attention.

Finally, Chara addressed you directly, as if aware of the gravity of the question they were about to ask you. C-A-N Y-O-U O-F-F-I-C-A-L-L-Y B-E M-Y T-E-A-C-H-E-R? Silence reigned at your lack of an immediate answer. Confusion cycled through Asgore so heavily at your hesitance, even you could sense it. Especially since the two of you already had sessions to help Chara with their magic.

Monsters didn't know. Quite a bit of mage culture was beyond their understanding, you supposed. The same was _not_ true for Chara though; they knew full well what they'd just requested. Were you ready for something like this? You weren't sure, but if there was anyone you'd agree to this for, it would be this child. A-R-E Y-O-U S-U-R-E.

If there was anything you were certain Chara picked up from her monster family, it would be their ability to know what they wanted. You had to give them credit for that as they nodded with absolutely no hesitation.

Asgore wasn't a mage. He didn't understand what it meant that Chara was asking you this. Still, your gaze shifted to the monster. "Is this something you're okay with?" You made sure that your voice was deadly serious, in order to convey the depth of the request. You hoped that the enforcer would take this as a question of circumstances rather than permission.

He caught on. "This is safe?" He questioned, the double meaning ringing clearly to you as the enforcer backed away, probably to call his superior.

"Absolutely." You responded immediately. Danger wasn't why this was taken so seriously. It was serious because being a mage's teacher was usually something only family did. The ceremony would connect you in that way.

The monarch studied you for a moment. "I'm fine with it." Asgore finally answered. To be honest, this was more a matter for mages. You were simply being polite by asking permission.

You walked away from the group, Chara only a half-step behind you. Chara held out her non-dominant hand to you once you were sure the two of you had the required amount of space. You took it with your own. Summoning your magic, it began to flow through the both of you.

The child didn't know the precise sequencing required for a bond of this nature, but it proved to be unnecessary, as glowing cobalt symbols formed in the air around the pair, spinning around you slowly. _Copy them_ , you told the young mage through your combined magic.

Chara obeyed, impressed that you hadn't needed to draw the sequence out first. Bonds of this nature may constitute the use of unspecialized magic, but it was still very advanced stuff. You were flattered at their awe. Slowly, very slowly, red symbols appeared over yours, tracing them. The meaning of each individual symbol was fed to them as they appeared in the air.

The young mage bit their lip. Even when they screwed up and traced wrong, you never admonished them. A simple border would appear around the incorrect symbol, shaping it properly. Then it would disappear so the child could continue. It took them a moment to realize how much freedom you were already giving them. You easily could have just given Chara the borders to fill.

You were already teaching them.

Finally, the symbols were all traced. _Reverse the spin on your sequence._ You guided, waiting patiently as they struggled. It wasn't long before Chara accomplished this as well. _Now we bring them in, mine on you and yours on me. Watch closely._

Your sequence, still spinning, dropped to the ground, shrinking to fit around just Chara before rising back up to chest height. The time-mage repeated the process, albeit a bit more haltingly. Your sequence moved again, flipping over the child's head before shrinking again to circle around Chara's wrist, still connected to yours. Again, the child copied you.

 _Ready?_ You inquired. You waited for them to confirm before beginning a short countdown. At the end, both of you simultaneously shrunk your sequences, searing the magic into each other's wrists. You took over from this point, cycling the magic back and forth between your conjoined hands repeatedly.

You flipped Chara's hand up so they could see when you finished. There, imprinted onto the back of their hand, was your cobalt mage symbol. On the back of your hand was their scarlet one.

So, you were their sister now.

You two didn't have time to celebrate. "I suppose you _were_ planning on it, to be able to execute the ceremony so perfectly under these conditions." The enforcer commented. Not really. You were just excellent at sequencing. You could probably get a job in it, if you wanted. "So, the situation."

Chara had already fed you the extent of what had happened through your magic. They had been practicing the smaller stuff in the park when the boys had begun throwing rocks at them. As they'd been working on, Chara had stopped and rewinded them out of reflex, causing them to shoot back at the boys who had thrown them.

It would simply be a matter of playground bullying if magic hadn't been involved. The police wouldn't even had gotten involved, much less their magical counterparts in the enforcers. "I know it." You stated.

Two cars pulled up then. One you recognized as belonging to Boss. Not surprising, as you _had_ called for help. Out of the second stepped a vaguely familiar man. It took you a moment to remember that this was Mr. Lee, the queen's lawyer.

Boss, Jamie, and a third mage you didn't recognize stepped out of his car. You were surprised the man had come himself. They met up with Mr. Lee on the sidewalk, probably exchanging information since they were on the same side.

' _What's going on?'_ Chara asked through your bond. You smiled, realizing this was the first time you'd heard their voice.

 _'Any help I qualify for, at this point you do too. They're here to provide it.'_ You answered just as silently.

"Miss _." Boss greeted you as they got closer. "Your Majesty."

The enforcer grimaced. "What are _you_ doing here?" Boss's smile grew terrifying as he and Mr. Lee started throwing legal terms around. You had to admit, you weren't fluent in legalese.

"Why don't we just do a recreation? Miss _ is more than capable of sequencing one for us. We can speak about legal ramifications if it's proven that young Chara did not begin this altercation with the intent of using magic to harm the boys."

"How would I know it was going to show the truth? I'm not an expert in sequencing." The enforcer spat back.

"I have an answer for that." You piped up again. They all turned to you. "Get a statement from each of the children including small details like rock size or a bird flying by. I wasn't here, so I don't know exactly what went down. Then, you can check the recreation for those details, since I won't know them."

You set to work drawing the sequence with Jamie's assistance as he did what you asked. You were happy he was helping. A sequence of this size would take a considerable amount of power, and you weren't sure you had enough left after the bonding sequence.

* * *

Jamie shot a sidelong glance at you as you worked, easily spotting the new mark on the back of your hand. He'd known you for years, and it was almost unheard of for you to get so close to people. Besides your brother and sister, your years at the academy had been spent mostly in solitude.

You had barely even talked back then, preferring to read or study in a secluded corner.

It was impressive, seeing how far you'd come these past few years. These monsters had taught you how to trust people again. He was grateful for it.

Your sequence went off perfectly, as expected. You had always excelled at the calculating precision necessary for this type of magic. He supposed it was the same level of precision you needed for your own, specialized magic. Healing wasn't a simple process, after all.

The enforcer grumbled off as it was proven who attacked who, leaving you with a warning. You had straightened to you tallest, glaring at him as he stalked away. Despite the fact he knew you would never actually try to hurt anyone, you made an intimidating picture.

Until Boss ruined it by ruffling your hair affectionately, causing you to protest immediately. You were definitely one for proper decorum with people you saw as being in a hierarchy.

Jamie turned to watch as your new family member clung to your shirt. It was irritating, knowing that if they hadn't gotten involved then the child easily could have ended up in a holding cell for the night. He supposed that's why the King had called you, hoping you could help.

They were more restricted on what they could do with magic than a felon trying to buy a handgun. Especially since the justice system still hadn't recognized that magic was a valid form of self-defense.

Age didn't matter if magic was involved.


	17. The Art of Elucidation

Several phone calls later, it was time for a q-and-a with Chara's chosen family. A family you were now a part of, despite their lack of knowledge as to how _that_ happened. And your own chosen family, you noted as Fuku and Grillby sat down at the table too.

You were glad the monarchs' table was so large, to try to fit everyone here at once.

"Why don't we start with the teacher thing, Punk. You were pretty adamant before that you weren't Chara's." Alphys prompted when you stared blankly at the table trying to figure out how to begin.

It was as good a place as any. "I wasn't their teacher then. Being someone's teacher in mage culture has a very different connotation than in regular human society. Especially if it's a one-on-one setting." You paused, trying to figure out how to explain. "There's a reason the Academy exists as an institution. It was originally created to train mages that were born to non-magical parents since, before that, people were taught by family. _Only_ family." You stressed.

"So, being our child's teacher had somehow made you related?" Toriel demanded, less than pleased. Probably because it had been unknown and completely out of her control.

"Not the title. The magic did, though. You don't really rate the title without the magic. That's what it's for. Our magic, as mages, is pretty much everything we are, so a bond at that level is even closer than one of blood. I don't know the history well, but it was considered an acceptable substitution for a bond of blood or matrimony. Any pair that used this ceremony were considered family in every way. Even legally, which still applies once I get the paperwork done."

You paused to let the information sink in. Undyne was scribbling furiously on a sheet of paper. Probably making sure to get down every word you said, enjoying the thrill of learning. Alphys was studying you carefully. Sans was sitting quietly, unusual for him, paying rapt attention to what you were saying. Papyrus seemed disinterested, as was his norm, but his eye-sockets were locked on yourself and Chara. Toriel was still glaring.

"I don't remember anything of the sort." Asgore piped up. "I remember the days before we were sealed, and the academy was only starting at that point."

"I'm not surprised." You replied easily. "It isn't necessarily that we're tight-lipped about it. It was just _rare_. Like, maybe three or four times in a _decade_ rare. Worldwide."

Grillby fixed you with an understanding gaze as you paused again. "What's it mean today?" he inquired, easily picking up on the fact that you were still speaking historically.

"The same thing. Only so much more. Since the academy exists, the need to bother becoming someone's teacher is thoroughly irrelevant. Those who need to be taught have the resources available. If I hadn't studied sequencing so much, I wouldn't have had any idea how to go about it. It isn't really used anymore, which is saying something since it was barely used in the first place." You glanced at the back of your hand.

Chara's mark had faded since the bond wasn't active at the moment, sinking beneath the layers of skin and waiting to be needed. You supposed it was lucky. You wouldn't have to wear gloves absolutely everywhere.

Fuku fixed you with a worried expression. "Can't sequencing backlash dangerously even if the most minor mistake is made? And you basically remade such an obscure ritual from scratch?"

With a sigh, you confirmed it. Several protesting voices filled the air immediately before Grillby and Asgore hushed them.

"You assured me it was safe." He commented. It wasn't accusing, only curious.

"It was perfectly safe." You replied confidently. "I know what I'm doing. If you understand spell structure and sequencing, it's possible to replicate all sorts of effects, even if you don't know the precise sequence someone has used historically."

"that's quite a bit of confidence." Papyrus commented. For once, it didn't seem like he was trying to accuse you of anything.

"Of course. I'm excellent at sequencing. I didn't spend a decade worth of study in the field to pretend I suck at it. I'm honest, not modest." You smiled a bit at your unintentional rhyme.

"SO, YOU CAN DO BASICALLY ANYTHING WITH YOUR MAGIC IF YOU SEQUENCE? DOESN'T THAT OVERRIDE YOUR SPECIALTY?" Sans inquired, curious. "WHY WOULDN'T EVERYONE SEQUENCE?"

What an odd way to put it. "Sequencing is unspecialized magic, so it takes much more power to do much less than any specialization. It's also much slower. If I wanted to, say, freeze time for an object like Chara can for example: first, I would have to devise an appropriate sequence and apply it to the object in question. Second: I would have to activate it before I lost contact with the object, so I could feed magic into the sequence when I wanted it to do its job. Third: unlike Chara, I would be restricted only to stopping time for that object unless I made another sequence altogether, so I couldn't fast-forward, rewind, or affect any other object. All that, and it would take me almost twelve times the amount of magic energy it would take Chara, since they're specialized, to do the same thing."

' _Not to mention what would happen if you screwed it up.'_ The mark on the back of your hand flared as Chara spoke to you through it.

"There's that too, I suppose." You affirmed, not quite realizing that not everyone had heard it.

"there's what?" an impatient Papyrus prompted.

"Sequencing is…unkind if you do it wrong. It can backlash if you mess it up, and even if you do it right you very much need to know how much power it's going to take. One you activate a sequence it'll take what it needs, whether or not it's more than you have."

"WHAT IS A BACKLASH?" You didn't bother to respond verbally this time. It would be easier to show them. You grabbed a napkin and scribbled down a few symbols, setting it down on the center of the table.

As you put magic into the symbols, a tiny ball of light the size of a marble appeared hovering over the table. Satisfied that they understood what it was for, you released the magic and grabbed the pen again. Just a minor adjustment, a line no bigger than a flea that wasn't supposed to be there.

Grillby grabbed your hand as you reached for it again, glaring at you. "I cannot allow you to purposefully hurt yourself." He told you forcefully.

"It'll be small, I promise. But just telling won't properly explain why people don't bother learning this when it has so many uses."

"Wait, this'll hurt you, Punk?" Alphys cut in. "No thanks, we'll take your word for it. I've had enough of your blood to last a lifetime."

You smiled. "It's too small to do anything like that. Probably just magic burns up to about…here." You informed them, drawing your finger across your arm two inches down from your elbow.

"FROM SOMETHING THAT TINY?" Sans sounded appalled, swiftly jerking the napkin away from you so you couldn't activate it. "WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED IF YOU'D MESSED UP EITHER OF THE SEQUENCES YOU USED YESTERDAY?"

"I don't really think about it. You have to have confidence when you're doing it, or nothing would ever get done." Several expressions darkened around the table as they were clearly dissatisfied with that answer.

"What would've happened, Punk?" Alphys interrogated, narrowing her eyes at you. Wow, they took your not-endangered safety far too seriously.

 _'Welcome to the club. I'm a fourteen-year-old that almost always has a babysitter.'_ Chara told you wryly. You grimaced in sympathy.

You'd forgotten again, you realized as your friends reacted to the new facial expression. "Y-you wouldn't d-d-d-d-die, w-would you?" Undyne stuttered fearfully.

You weren't able to tell her no. That would be a lie, after all.

Toriel, surprisingly, broke the silence. "I believe we all understand why more mages don't use this method. I must ask, it is alright to share this information?"

"Of course. You could easily find it on the internet if you wanted." You replied easily. "I don't say anything that isn't my place to say. Of course, people rarely tell me such things anyway."

"Ea-earlier, y-you referred t-to y-your magic a-almost l-like we r-refer t-to S-Souls." Undyne informed you questioningly. "E-everything y-you are?" She repeated.

You smirked, allowing your face to fall comfortably into your palm. "You guys know as little about how we work as we do about you, huh? Yeah, a mage's magic won't lie. You can't change the color, or the specialization once you realize it, or your mark. It's directly tied to the force that keeps us alive. It's the truest form of ourselves. It probably _is_ almost like your Souls."

For a moment, everyone at the table exchanged meaningful looks. _'So, we can't lie to each other this way?'_ Chara questioned.

"Nope." You answered aloud, thoughtlessly. "You could try if you wanted though." You added, shifting your gaze to your new student. In the next few seconds, the communication in your bond was reduced to static as their magic refused to cooperate.

"What are you talking about, Punk?" Alphys demanded. "You keep talking as if someone said something."

Oops. It was such a natural way to hear, it wasn't occurring to you that Chara wasn't actually speaking. With you and Chara wearing the same impish expression, it didn't take anyone long to figure it out.

"you can hear them? they can _talk_ to you?" Papyrus interrogated. You supposed it _would_ be surprising, since Chara never used their voice. He switched targets. "you can talk to her?" He demanded accusingly. Chara signed back at him quickly.

You didn't understand.

Sigh. More explanations.

* * *

You stretched your arms well over your head as you walked, glad to be done explaining for the moment. Who even liked talking that much? A smile tugged at your lips as your shoulder made no protest.

It was finally done healing then.

It was nice to take a break under the beating sunshine. The heat almost made you sleepy. You wished you could just find a park bench and curl up on it.

But you couldn't. You had several more people to call, and a bit of travel to plan.

Best to start at the beginning. You flipped the small device open and plugged in a familiar number. "Hey Eve. Have I got news for you." You greeted your sister as she picked up.

* * *

Fuku wasn't quite surprised. You may not know about Souls, since they weren't allowed to talk about it, but you _were_ intelligent. You were figuring it out fast from the context they were giving you.

She almost wished for a moment that she could see it. She wanted to know if Souls and human magic were as closely related as you assumed, and the short glimpses it was possible to get from you just wasn't enough to check.

The opposite was just as impossible at the moment. Fuku wasn't nearly close enough to ask the child if she could check and see if you'd left a mark on their Soul, like she suspected. It was what happened when monsters made bonds with chosen family, after all.

All she needed was one good look. Fuku knew that if she asked, you would agree readily. You made no effort to hide the fact that you trusted her absolutely. She couldn't ask you though. Not yet.

Toriel and Chara were worried about what would happen if humans found out about monsters' connection to Souls. It made sense, since that information had been what started The Great War in the first place. Like you, it wasn't necessarily that they lied about it. Monsters just didn't talk about it where humans could hear.

It wouldn't be long before you knew, though. Then she could ask you. After all, if your bond with Chara was as deep as the two of you had made it out to be, they and you would be even closer family than the child's chosen monster family.

It was a situation that Chara seemed more than pleased by.

Perhaps she should have a talk with your friend, the royal scientist. If she brought it up, she knew Undyne would be just as curious as she was. The glimmer of curiosity was already burning just beneath the surface.


	18. Business Trip

The cobalt glow faded from your hands easily as you pulled away. You supposed it was smart of them, to test you by having you heal sick patients. They got the data on your progress, and the patients got to be healthy again free of charge.

You had no doubt that this free healing would hit the media full force.

It was nice to be working with your own specialization again, rather than all the sequencing you'd been doing lately. They'd already tested that again, after all. You'd passed with flying colors.

Your impressed patient flexed his fingers several times, disbelieving. "The doctors said it wouldn't heal right." He whispered. "I can play again."

You wiped your sweaty hands on your pants as you left the room, waiting to be led to the next one. Your proctor stared at you as you emerged. "We've been at this for nearly five hours. Aren't you tired yet?" She demanded.

You shrugged. You were getting bored of healing so many small things, but you couldn't say you were running low on magical reserves. "Not really." You answered simply. "I've still got over half of my magic left. If you want to deplete it faster, you're going to have to give me something big."

She led you to the ER. You spent the next hour fixing everything from broken legs to gunshot wounds. Once blood got involved, you turned away, healing without looking. It was still disgusting. After you healed and woke up a recent coma patient, your proctor cut you off, asking to see your mage mark to check your reserves.

It was still glowing steadily. She shook her head at you. "I was cautious when I heard you'd earned your seventh rank only four years ago." She admitted. "Quite a few people try to rank up so quickly, even when they don't really have the progress for it. I don't know how you managed to improve this much so fast, though. I'll put the report in. They'll review it and you should get a new ID card immediately. Let's go to the academy so you can get that updated." She motioned to the stars surrounding your mark.

It was an interesting feeling, riding in a car after so long. Mages generally weren't allowed to acquire driver's licenses, so you had never driven yourself. Any sort of travel could be hard; it had taken three weeks after you put the request in before you'd been allowed to fly out to get re-tested. And that, only so quickly because you also had to register Chara as your student.

You still had to plan for the party your siblings were sure to force you to throw.

It was odd, being here again. Sure, you'd spent most of your life here within the safety of the Academy walls, but you'd grown accustomed to your life in Ebott. The noise, the food, the people. Monsters. It felt eerily empty not having any of those things around.

The heavy iron gates swung shut behind the car as it entered the grounds. You could almost feel the vehicle vibrate from the loud noise it made. It was odd. That noise used to make you feel safe.

It didn't anymore. Perhaps because you'd since learned that many dangers weren't on the outside of the walls.

The empty halls were also just as you remembered. The gloss on the flooring was slippery as you walked. Partly to steady yourself, and partly because you always had, you kept your hand on the wall, feeling the living bark shift beneath as you passed.

Your memory of the layout was lacking in the administrative part of the building, so you were grateful that your proctor was still there to show you the way. First, the tattoo.

Your Academy specifically traced ranks that way. Other academies used tattoos, but it was always something different. It was just another identifier.

Unlike most tattoo etiquette, the artist wasted no time before setting to work on your new star. There was no need to get comfortable here after all. You resisted the urge to scratch at the feeling as the tiny needles pierced your skin.

"'S freakin' crazy yer back already girlie. I 'member you." The man stated. You braced yourself as he activated his magic, searing the new mark into your skin and setting the ink. "Took it like a champ the first time too." He complimented before shooing you away.

Just the interview and paperwork left, and then you could go _home_.

Interesting how that word had changed so much in the past four years. 'Home' used to be here. Once, you had felt comfortable inside these walls.

* * *

The main offices were only a quick jaunt away. A light knock was all that was required from you as the door swung open of its own accord.

"Miss _. It has certainly been awhile." Headmistress Fiora greeted as the two of you shook hands. "Please, take a seat. Tell me," She ordered. "Your assignment ended over two years ago, yet you remain in Ebott. Why?"

"Because I like it there." You answered easily. "I have friends, a job I enjoy, and I generally don't have to be misleading with people."

"Monsters, correct? How are your interactions with them? I'm not asking for anything personal, mind you. I'm just curious, as they generally disregard us as a people." She added when you eyed her incredulously.

"They generally dislike the fact I have magic. My friends knew me before they found out I had it, though." You replied cautiously. "They are very guarded, and understandably so. They care a lot for other people though. I'm uncomfortable with continuing this line of questions, Headmistress."

She dropped it readily, instead moving to your new student and filling out paperwork related to them. "How did you do it? Can you recreate the sequence and process used?" Headmistress Fiora questioned. "It would be nice to have the ceremony on file again."

You agreed. You were beginning to regret it by hour two of explaining, but you couldn't fault them for wanting to know. It would have been immensely useful for _you_ to know beforehand too. Once you were done, Chara's mark was registered in your file and they issued a student-level ID for the child alongside your new rank-eight card.

Thankfully, mage paperwork moved fast. It had to in order to keep up with the unreal expectations most of human society forced upon them.

You thanked the receptionist as she handed you all of your paperwork. You placed the folder carefully inside of your bag, making sure not to bend it, before heading back out the way you came.

The administrative building was quiet. You supposed it was normal, since the bulk of noise would come from the students and they were in another building. You made to reach for the knob of the door leading outside when a flare of static stopped you.

A too-loud bell rang out before you could leave, signaling a warning. Seconds later, the magic in the air flared to life as a barrier sprung up around the building. Just in time, too, as a loud bang sounded and the magic brightened for an instant as it blocked whatever had tried to pierce it. The Academy was under attack.

Which meant only one thing: lockdown. You weren't catching your return flight today. Time to go back to the offices so they could reschedule it.

With a long-suffering sigh, you turned around.

* * *

The next morning saw you checking in at airport security. You only had a small carry on with some clothes, since you weren't allowed to check anything. It was still frustrating as they turned your bag inside out, going through every possession you had with you.

Why were they allowed to do this with no cause just because you were a mage?

At least they didn't argue with you when you requested a girl for your inevitable strip-search, unlike the first trip. You found yourself wishing, not for the first time, that you could just magically cross the distance like some mages could. You couldn't sequence a portal without express permission though.

A neon bracelet found its way onto your wrist after you'd redressed, brightly declaring your mage status to anyone who cared to look. It certainly wasn't as bad as it could have been. If you were anything less useful in an emergency than a healer, they would have locked magic-disrupting manacles on your wrists for the flight as well.

As it was, you just had to deal with being squashed against a window by an unpleasant guard for the entirety of the flight.

You watched the safe, sturdy ground fall away from you as the plane took off. Why did you have to have a window seat?

Because otherwise they would need to pay _two_ guards to watch you. Knowing the answer didn't make it any less annoying or nerve-wracking though.

You sincerely wished the flight attendant had bothered to give you a blanket or pillow. When you'd asked though, she'd taken one look at your wrist and replied that they were out. Which was a lie. You knew they had enough for almost double the amount of seats in the plane.

You _hated_ liars.

There was very little you could do though, so you settled back against the window. Since you were so high in the air, the ground below looked just like a patchwork quilt. It was definitely an interesting sight.

You watched it go by for the rest of the flight.

* * *

Sans watched as Chara practically bounced out of their seat in anticipation. Your rescheduled flight was due back now and the child had just about had it waiting for you to arrive. He wasn't too patient either. You were supposed to be back last night.

Before they found out that the complex you were at was under attack.

He couldn't understand how bored you'd seemed over the phone when you'd let them all know why you would be later. You still wouldn't walk around after dark since the last incident unless Fuku was with you, so why were you so calm about this one?

Alphys had rationalized that you had been sure of your safety. Sans supposed that could be the case. He knew, as a member of the royal guard, that mages' academies were highly defensible places, near impenetrable without the use of nuclear bombs or tier eight magic and up.

They wanted to know what they were up against if mages turned on them again, after all. Over the years, though, the immediate need to know that information had faded, and Sans had forgotten until yesterday.

Chara tugging on his arm brought him out of his thoughts, following the young mage's excited gaze as they pointed.

Here you were, finally. Your hair was tied in a side ponytail and you were dressed much fancier than you usually were. You must have forgone your usual comfortable clothes. You stopped at the security station for a moment before stepping past the gate so they could greet you.

Your eyes lit up as you noticed them, replacing the weariness that had been present before. You seemed a bit overly excited to Sans. Had you not expected anyone to come and meet you?

One of your hands came up to twirl your hair on a finger absently as you approached. "Hey you." You greeted him with a smile.

Odd, that exact phrase was present on a list of flirts he had researched the other day. Since you had mentally scolded yourself for flirting with him, he'd decided to look it up and see if it was a bad thing. It wasn't. Were you purposely doing it now, unlike before when it had evidently been accidental? Or were you not realizing what you were doing?

You turned to Chara before he could respond. Neither of you spoke, but something passed between the two of you, as Chara bounced over to grab your hand and lead you away.


	19. Welcome to the Family

You had just finished setting up the balloon bouquet when a knock came at the door. You checked the time. Exactly three hours before the party was supposed to start. That would be Damien then, since your older brother had odd ideas about what being on time meant.

Damien's glossy eyes locked on you for a few seconds before wandering around you as you opened the door for him. He was dressed well, wearing a white button-up and black slacks, which clashed immensely with his unkempt hair. You could feel his magic fanning out, mapping your place for him since his eyes couldn't do the job.

You greeted him when you felt him finish. Knowing he hated physical contact he didn't initiate, you simply stepped aside to let him in.

Fuku, presumably having felt the magic surge, entered through the back door. She had been setting up tables outside. "Fuku, my brother Damien. Damien, this is my best friend Fuku." You introduced.

Again, Damien's blind eyes found their target. You couldn't be sure of exactly what he saw, but you knew he used magic to see. It made mages quite clear to him, since they had so much magic. You vaguely wondered how clear monsters were. "It's a pleasure." He greeted, a small smile crossing his face. "Thank you for taking care of our little sister for so long. Heavens knows she needs it."

"Hey!" You protested with a glare, earning a small chuckle from your sibling. You schooled your face into an expression of absolute betrayal as Fuku laughed too.

Grumbling, you turned away to hang the 'Welcome to the Family' banner so it could be easily seen from the door without dipping too close to the couch or television. It had been difficult to find one that wasn't baby themed. The drag on the banner suddenly lessened and you glanced over to see Damien tacking up the other corner for you.

"So, why Chara?" He inquired as you finished.

"Don't you already know?" You asked thoughtlessly. After all, knowing things was what Damien _did_. "Why wait until now to ask?"

"I look in on you, _. I don't invade your privacy. Your thoughts are something I won't intrude on." He answered calmly. He made to say more, but seemed to think better of it, instead waiting patiently for you to respond.

"Sorry, Damien. I wasn't thinking. I guess…because they already seemed like family by the time. And I was already teaching them. I didn't really stop to think about it for long, since the progression seemed so natural." Banner hung, you jumped down from the fold-up chair you'd been standing on.

Damien schooled his own expression into disapproval. He disliked it when you didn't take time to think things through. It was a very basic difference between you: you trusted your intuition, he trusted logic.

Knowing your friends, you had everything set up two hours early. Which was good, because they started filing in thirty minutes after that. You didn't even bother to shut the door again after Undyne and Alphys arrived, knowing you would just have to go answer it again in two minutes if you did.

Undyne was nervous around your brother. Probably because he was new, but you supposed it could have something to do with the fact she had no idea what to do with blind people. You quietly reassured her. After all, Damien _could_ see magic, and high concentrations of it like mages and monsters would stick out to him.

Alphys tried to rope you into combat training just as Muffet arrived holding bags from her bakery. Large bags. Had Fuku convinced her to bring a cake or three?

"This is much better than your last party, Punk." Alphys informed you, slapping you on the back good-naturedly. "Much more party-like."

"You literally just came over to our house last time. It wasn't meant to be a party." You complained as the mage of the hour walked in with their surrogate parents. ' _Chara!'_ You greeted. ' _How's it?'_

Asgore greeted you cheerily, a stark contrast to his wife's still displeased form. Or perhaps it was apathetic. You supposed she needed some time to get over it. It was hard, not knowing about something so important beforehand.

Chara returned your greeting before going to mingle with your brother. Now their brother too, you supposed. You followed so you could act as a translator. Your brother wasn't able to understand sign language.

Sans and Papyrus were the next to arrive, at exactly an hour early. Why did start times exist if literally everyone was going to ignore them? You had to admit, though, you hadn't expected them to be early together. Papyrus was usually chronically late.

Damien took a moment to inspect the two newcomers, lingering heavily on Sans, before he turned to you. "I approve." Was all he said.

"Approve of what?" you demanded as your brother started to walk away. You made to follow. "What's going to happen that you approve of?" You always got annoyed when he'd bring up things like this and never tell you what they were about.

"GOING TO HAPPEN?" Sans questioned, tilting his head in confusion. You hesitated to admit it to yourself, as your face heated up, but he was super cute wearing that expression. Not necessarily in a childish way, but in an attractive way to be sure.

Your fingers made their way up to your hair of their own accord, twirling the strands nervously as you answered, "Damien is a diviner. He knows things, basically. All sorts of things." You made a motion to the mage mark on the side of your brother's neck, careful not to touch him.

The seeing-eye symbol glowed steadily, contrasting against his skin. It was blue, but not like yours. It was much lighter in color. Around it sat six small black stars, the ranking mark of your Academy.

Sans introduced himself then, extending a gloved hand for Damien to shake. You reached forward to intervene when your brother surprised you by taking it. It was beyond your comprehension that Damien had willingly just _touched_ someone new.

Grillby was next to arrive at squarely a half-hour early. That was all but one intended guest present well before the party was supposed to _start_. He immediately moved to your kitchen so he could fill the fridge with vegetables and other healthy foods.

You smiled at the not-so-subtle reminder that he cared.

* * *

When the party time actually came around, your phone buzzed, so you flipped it open to check it. It was immediately surrounded in a violet light. Knowing what this meant, you chucked the object, startling everyone save Damien. It stopped mid-air once it had enough room.

"Am I on time?" a computerized, yet familiar, voice asked as binary coding in the shape of a person began forming in the middle of the room.

Incredulous, you deadpanned, "Did you literally just text yourself to me, Eve?" Her body solidified a few seconds later, your poor cell clattering to the floor as Eve's magic released the device.

"Of course." She answered, sweeping in to ruffle your hair. You glared at her. "You don't expect me to travel using _normal_ methods, do you?" She wasn't wrong. You avoided travel in the normal way for the same reason; you just didn't have a way around it like she did.

"I suppose not. Guys, this is my older sister, Evelynn." You introduced, following up by naming everyone in the room.

"Y-your m-magic is w-with t-tech-technology?" Undyne stuttered, interested.

"Yep. Has been for longer than I can remember." Eve replied, flipping her wrist over to reveal her violet mage-mark. It was binary in the shape of a plug; like yours it was surrounded by eight small stars.

You never thought you would see Undyne's shell shed so quickly. She immediately began bombarding Eve with technological jargon you couldn't understand, who reciprocated just as enthusiastically.

Eventually, Eve remerged from the conversation and strolled over to where you were standing. "Hey _. New little sib." She greeted you and Chara. Chara signed something back along with the hello, but it was too fast for you until they got to their name. Rapid finger spelling was no longer beyond you.

Evelynn, communicative extrovert that she was, signed back to them at the same speed. You swiftly gave up on the conversation, opting to munch on fruit in the dining room.

Surprisingly, Papyrus joined you. You waited for him to figure out whatever it was he wanted to say, as the focused expression on his face told you. It must have been hard for him. "you were right." He told you, refusing to meet your eyes.

He was being honest, though. While you weren't sure what he meant, his words rang with sincerity. "I'm not sure what you're talking about." You informed him, pleased he was being honest with you.

"i…we don't know much about mages. how you work or your culture. i should have listened when the kid tried to explain it to me, but…" He trailed off, unsure. "honestly i probably never would have if you hadn't scolded me. so, thank you."

This was out of left field, but unlike that silly apology card _this_ was sincerely from him. You weren't quite sure how to respond, so you went with the most obvious answer. "You're welcome."

* * *

 _You weren't_ safe _in Ebott_ , Damien had argued. _You shouldn't be making such ties somewhere so unsafe._

 _You were_ happy _in Ebbot_ , Evelynn had countered. _You wouldn't make any such ties if you didn't sincerely love it_.

The twins had debated for hours after your call informing them of Chara's addition to your family and, by extension, theirs. It was a debate that hadn't really been settled until Damien sensed how happy you were, and how protectively your friends treated you.

Even if they didn't tell you everything. Damien could have informed you of how much they could sense from you, but something made him bite his tongue.

Evelynn was right. Did he really want to throw a wrench in your happiness? When he knew you would find out later without being offended or hurt? Not that you could escape emotional pain altogether here. The monster you fancied would cause you some in the near future, but it would turn out well.

Damien kept his mouth shut and turned his attention to the young sibling he had gained.

Evelynn was rarely right in place of Damien. Still, it would be wrong to rub his face in it. Instead, she focused on the liveliness of your party and meeting your friends. They'd done a world of good for you already, and she was certain that having them would only help you in the future.

Maybe them too, if you could secure the relationship between mages and monsters. But that wasn't the point of this celebration, so Eve pushed the thought from her mind.

Chara was definitely a charmer. Eve may actually have been swayed by the flirting had the young mage been about a decade older.

Both twins rarely agreed, however this was an exception.

This was good for you.


	20. Dalliance

"THAT ISN'T HOW YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO STAND, _. MOVE YOUR DOMINANT LEG FORWARD THREE INCHES MORE. AND BEND YOUR LEGS A LITTLE!" Sans corrected you loudly. "YOU'RE SO STIFF, YOU WOULD FALL OVER IF A BREEZE BLEW BY."

Oh, the joy of being forced to learn things. Obediently, you bent your knees and shifted your weight. You had probably spent the last hour alone just on falling into this position correctly. It occurred to you that Sans and Alphys were trying to make the position feel natural to you.

It would likely take much more than just a couple of hours. You supposed this was part of the reason why it took so long to master things like martial arts.

Alphys released a long-suffering sigh. "That's enough for today, Punk. You have to go change for your shift, right?" She added at your confused glance.

"Oh, yeah. Man, time really flies when you're with friends." You replied, moving to collect your water bottle and towel. "Or doing physical activities. I'm not sure which. Maybe both."

A series of sudden shouting drowned out Alphys's response. A swift glance around told you the source, as several people swarmed around a collapsed individual. "Help!" a woman's voice rang out.

You would have to do this fast. People would argue with you if they knew you were a mage before you could do anything. You stretched your power out as you jogged over, trying to get a full scan so you could quickly fix the problem before someone got it in their head to pull you away.

In a group that large, one of them inevitably would, whether you were allowed to work on him or not.

"Please!" the woman begged, looking straight at you as you arrived, probably still not realizing you were a mage. "Please help him."

There was the request. You were officially authorized to use your magic to help, even if she didn't know it. Still fully intending to keep it quick, you gathered as much magic as his body could take at once and slammed it into him before anyone could register your glowing hands.

A hand gripped your hair and yanked. You separated from your patient just as your magic cleared the block and he took in a deep breath. Another arm found its way around your neck as the person literally dragged you at least a yard away. The woman threw herself over your patient, sobbing. Good. At least he was properly healed before someone interrupted.

"What the _hell_ do you think you're doing?" a vicious male voice interrogated. "Who the _fuck_ do you think you are, to use your magic on an actual member of society-."

His arms were ripped away, dropping you onto the concrete running path with little pain. Sans stood above you, holding the man's arm in what looked -judging by the pain on the man's face- to be a vice grip. Before you could fully register what had just happened, Alphys tugged you away, easily lifting you up and setting you back on your feet.

"I THINK A BETTER QUESTION WOULD BE: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" Sans corrected, his voice low. It hadn't occurred to you how much your friends had researched about mages until his next statement, "MY FRIEND WAS GIVEN PERMISSION TO HELP THIS INDIVIDUAL. YOU'RE LUCKY SHE'S GOOD ENOUGH TO DO IT AS QUICKLY AS SHE DID, OR HIS DEATH WOULD BE ON YOU."

You felt strange, watching the man fail to tug his arm from Sans's grip. A couple of thigs occurred to you then. First: you had made amazing friends. Usually nobody stuck up for you in these situations. Sometimes the healed or the one who gave permission, but it was rare, and never a bystander.

Second: Sans was really strong. It was unfair of you to keep that first impression you had of him. Not that you hadn't been aware of it before, you'd known he was strong from the start. But you'd shied away from letting him protect you, even though it was important to him. That was wrong of you.

You'd operated so long without it though, you were kind of afraid of having it change.

What happened next, you were certain only happened because your friends had intervened. The sobbing woman stood, moving in front of you protectively. After her came several more of the bystanders as Sans released the man's arm and stepped away. The woman cursed at him, and the rest of the crowd followed suit until he backed off and ran away.

Humans weren't bad people at heart. You had never thought that they were. But they tended to follow each other. It wasn't until there were two sides of an argument that humans really had the ability to show what kind of person they were. If Sans and Alphys hadn't stuck up for you, there wouldn't be another side to follow.

Just your aggressor. That's how things usually turned out.

The woman turned, eyes still full of tears and thanking you profusely. You accepted the gratitude, you _had_ done her a service after all, but firmly shook your head when she offered payment.

* * *

"Hey Sans?" you prompted as the three of you left the park. They had insisted on walking you home. "I'm sorry."

You were about to continue when he turned that enormous grin at you, locking your gaze with his. "YOU'RE FORGIVEN, _. WE'RE YOUR FRIENDS. SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO LET US HELP."

You didn't know how he knew what you were apologizing for, but in the grand scheme of things it seemed irrelevant. It just meant you were close, right? Should you ask?

"You're right." You said instead. Sans shot you another smile. His hand brushed your elbow and you turned obediently to start walking again. You didn't have much time left before your shift after all, not after the fiasco at the park. At most, you'd get a quick rinse in the shower at this point.

"Try to avoid things that you know are going to get you hurt, Punk. You're still a raw beginner in defending yourself." Alphys chastised, oddly avoiding looking at you. Was she having trouble with her feelings again? A confused glance at Sans had you discovering that he was already looking at you.

He lifted an arm to pat you on the shoulder, clearly amused. You smiled, one of your hands coming up to twirl a few strands of your hair. It was almost like sharing an inside joke. You'd only been privy to a couple in your lifetime, with your siblings and Fuku. It was nice to share one with Sans.

When you reached your door, you turned, wrapping your friends in a hug. Alphys pointedly looked away from you, a blush growing on her cheeks; physical contact was generally uncomfortable for her. Sans returned it wholeheartedly before you turned to go inside so you could get ready for work.

* * *

Alphys and Sans showed up at Grillby's about halfway through your shift. Probably because they knew Fuku was getting off early and were planning to walk you home. You resolved to yourself not to grumble about it.

They did it because they cared. There was no reason to be afraid of that.

Still, you were surprised to see Sans actually pick up a menu. He'd never really approved of unhealthy or overly greasy foods. Sadly, those exact categories made up about ninety percent of Grillby's menu. You could see the disbelieving expression crossing his face as he read it.

Time to salvage this as best you could. "Welcome to Grillby's!" you greeted cheerily, relatively certain that it was Sans's first time here to actually eat. "How are you guys?"

"I…WE ARE WELL, _. HOW ARE _YOU_ DOING?" Sans leaned forward, placing his skull on his palm, elbow on the table. You resisted the urge to lift your hand to twirl in your hair. After all, you kept it up and out of the way when you were working.

"I'm good thanks. Are you having trouble deciding?" You guessed. Usually you would never ask this question so quickly, but Grillby's food was the antithesis of what Sans normally allowed himself to eat.

His easy smile dropped again as he glanced down to the menu. He glared at it for a moment before looking back at you. "I SUPPOSE I AM. WOULD YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS FOR A STARTER?" Hmm…knowing Sans…

"I think you would most appreciate the cheesy potato skins if anything." After all, when he had tacos, nearly a third of the whole taco was cheese. And it was very nearly the healthiest thing on the menu. You reached down to his menu and flipped the page, pointing it out to him. "Do you know what you would like to drink?" You directed this question to Alphys, who was looking at you with incredulity.

"Soda, Punk, same as usual." She retorted. Was she upset?

You turned back to Sans for his order. "JUST WATER TO DRINK PLEASE. I DON'T WANT ANYTHING SUPER SUGARY. ALSO, CAN WE GET AN ORDER OF THOSE POTATO SKINS YOU SUGGESTED?" You beamed as you took the order. People too often ignored any suggestions you gave them. It was a refreshing change.

* * *

Watching Sans flirt with you was incredibly difficult. Half of Alphys wanted to punch him in congratulations, and the other half wanted to punch him in embarrassment. How had he gotten so good at it? She was relatively sure he hadn't ever had a significant other to practice on.

Had she and Undyne been so cheesy in the beginning? She didn't want to ask; she was relatively certain of the answer.

And _you_! You naïve little…she couldn't even think of a proper insult for this. You reacted positively to Sans's flirting without even realizing what was going on, certainly without realizing he was even flirting with you. Someone was going to have to have a good long conversation with you.

Perhaps that fire elemental, Fuku. She seemed absolutely invested in your budding relationship as well, after all.

Alphys's eyes followed you as you moved to greet another table. Humans. Must have been regulars too, with how you seemed to know them. Unlike with her and Sans, though, you kept a very precise distance. One of them, a male, had moved to try to touch you a couple of times, but you just flitted out of the way effortlessly.

A quick glance at Sans told her he hadn't noticed, as he was busy writing you a thank you note on his napkin. Did he look up how to flirt with a waitress or what? Well, honestly it wouldn't surprise her if he had.

Alphys looked back at you, practically ignoring the fools trying to throw themselves at you. So, you didn't respond well to flirting in general. Just Sans's version of it.

A delighted grin stretched across her face.


	21. I'm In Love With You

It took some staring at the note he'd slipped into your bag from the table for you to realize it. Not that you'd been oblivious at the time, but flirting was still normal between good friends. After all, you flirted with Fuku all the time, and it had never turned into anything.

Because both of you were just having fun.

Which was almost true in this case. You _liked_ it when Sans flirted with you. It was fun, complimentary, and made you blush.

But it was different from your and Fuku's flirting matches.

With Fuku, such fun was fully reciprocal, both of you flirting in more and more extravagant and obvious ways. With Sans, it was subtle, testing. It wasn't the same as flirting between besties. It wasn't just your attraction to the skeleton either. After all, your best friend was one of the most attractive people ever, a fact you readily admitted.

Perhaps it was the possibility of something actually happening then? After all, Fuku had made it clear after the first couple of flirts that she wasn't interested in you that way. Sans had made no such distinction.

With a sigh, you stood. Well, you _could_ just tell him. If he liked you back that way, great. If not, then it would be easier for you both in the long run to know it now.

Talking to Sans was easy. It always was. He was a great friend to you, before anything else. Your realization had been admittedly slow, but, if anything, it meant your feelings had time to develop properly on their own.

You sighed. "Papyrus is going to be upset with me again." Sans shot you a questioning look over his plate.

"WHY? I CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING YOU'VE DONE TO UPSET HIM SINCE HE STOPPED BEING STUBBORN ABOUT YOU."

"That's because I haven't done it yet." You informed him simply. At his questioning glance, you shifted your gaze to his face. "There's something I need to tell you." A mixture between shock and apprehension crossed your friend's face. "Oh, no. It isn't something bad." You hurried to assure him.

"OH GOOD. THE LAST TIME SOMEONE TOLD ME THAT, BAD THINGS HAPPENED."

You paused. "Well, I'm not sure nothing bad will happen _at all_ , but I can assure you any ramifications will fall solely on me."

He looked hesitant again. "I AM NOT SURE I WISH TO HEAR IT, IF THAT IS THE CASE."

"Nah, it's okay." You linked your hands together and leaned forward to rest your head on your intertwined fingers. You were relatively certain you didn't like the look of unease marring his features. "Nobody's going to die or anything. It's just…I'm in love with you." You informed him.

He didn't react at first, as though he was trying to figure out a way to misconstrue your words. Or he was certain you didn't mean it in the way he was interpreting it. When he couldn't find any other way to take what you'd told him, his face began to light up, flushed with his cerulean magic.

He stood from the table suddenly and dashed out the glass door to the backyard. You made no move to follow him. If he needed space, you would give it wholeheartedly. You hadn't meant to make him uncomfortable.

As you'd predicted previously, Papyrus came storming in shortly after. Furious, he made a beeline for you at the table. "what did you do?" he snarled once he was in range. Apparently, Sans had been so uncomfortable he couldn't even tell Papyrus what had upset him.

Damn, you hadn't meant to bother him. You just…didn't feel like it was something you'd needed to keep quiet. Being open with your feelings was something Sans appreciated about you. Something in your chest hurt at the thought that what you liked most about your relationship may be the thing to end it.

"I told him I love him." You told him, keeping your hurt out of your voice expertly. Sans hadn't answered you yet. There was no need to feel hurt, you told yourself.

Papyrus stopped for a moment, dumbfounded by your admission before his ire returned full force. "why would you do that? you know, i thought you were better than that. don't toy with our emotions like that!"

"Why would I lie about it?" You asked. Papyrus was protective. You knew that. "When have I ever lied to you? Any of you? Why in the world would I lie about something like this? Why would you even _think_ I would lie about this?"

Your temper had taken off, it seemed, as you fired question after agitated question. It was bad enough that Sans had run away from you after you'd told him your feelings. If that wasn't rejection, you didn't know what was, but you would wait like a patient adult for his answer and respect it. Adding the insult to that particular injury was more hurt than you could contain.

You didn't lie. _You didn't lie._ You never lied. You wouldn't lie. That was the only thing that had always been true about you. Having it questioned hurt just as much. _'They won't trust you.'_ Fuku's words rang in your head. You knew that. You _did,_ but…You were friends, weren't you? In the beginning it made sense, but it had been months and you'd done nothing that would cause this kind of distrust.

This time, you were pretty sure the taller skeleton could hear the pain in your voice. You allowed your head to sink back into your hands, fighting to regain your composure.

Papyrus didn't seem to know what to say to you now. You were quietly surprised at this, since he'd never been speechless before. Eventually he seemed to settle on, "so you really love him?" Your short, affirmative answer didn't seem to surprise him this time. He contemplated for a moment before the ire returned to Papyrus's face. "and what if he says no?"

You didn't shift you gaze up to him as you answered, "Then he says no. I'm capable of respecting peoples' decisions Papyrus. We'll stay just as friends if he wants it."

"And if he doesn't want it?" Papyrus pressed again.

You hadn't thought of that. You were certain this time that you hadn't been able to conceal the shocked pain that shot through you at this realization, but you quickly squashed it. "Then I suppose you won't have to deal with me anymore." At his confused expression, you added, "Since you and I aren't friends, I mean. If Sans doesn't want me around, then I won't be."

Papyrus jerked a bit, and you were curious enough to finally look back up at him fully. "you think we aren't friends?" Something uncomfortable curled in your stomach at the question.

"I know we aren't friends, Papyrus. You barely want anything to do with me, even if you aren't being hostile anymore. I enjoy your company, when you're being amicable. But friendship is a two-way street, Papyrus. I've been under the impression it's one that you don't want to walk on with me." Papyrus stuttered for a moment, turning his gaze shamefully away from you. "So, no. We aren't friends." You repeated. There was a pause as you waited for him to reply.

"PLEASE LEAVE." Your eyes swung to the now open door where Sans was standing. Well, there was your answer. Exactly the one you'd dreaded when he ran out of that door to begin with.

"Okay." You responded emotionlessly, slipping from the chair easily and heading for the door. Had you looked back, you might have seen the tortured look on Sans's face, or Papyrus's hand as he reached for you. You might've heard them both quietly whisper your name in pained voices. You might have stayed and tried to mend what you had broken with the truth.

You didn't look back. Then they would have seen the tears rolling down your cheeks. It had been years since you cried. Even longer since someone had seen you cry. You weren't willing to show that side of you to them. Especially since you were trying to resect Sans's decision.

And the door clicked quietly shut behind you.

"I'm in love with you." There was no other possible way you could have meant it. Still, he thought of any other possibility before it truly settled in what you had just told him. Your Soul backed it up though. He could recognize the feeling coming off of it easily. Alphys and Undyne had it whenever they were in the same room.

He abruptly stood and dashed out the back door onto the porch before his face exploded.

He was mildly relieved when you didn't move to follow him. Then again, you were always careful to be respectful of peoples' boundaries, so he wasn't at all surprised.

Papyrus, who'd been pretending to work in the garden, turned quickly as he exploded out of the door, shutting the sliding glass behind him as quickly as he could without breaking it. "what's wrong? sans?" his brother asked as Sans dropped his glowing skull into his hands.

Sans could only shake his head, too embarrassed and dumbstruck to possibly speak. He almost followed when Papyrus ran inside to yell at you, but stopped himself. He wasn't quite ready to answer you yet.

It was definitely a possibility of course. He'd been flirting with you hoping for it, after all. He was just dumbstruck that you were so… _forward_ about it. Especially since it had taken him this long to even _flirt_ with you.

He had come to terms with his own feelings for you, and he certainly wasn't sure if he wanted to act on them at all. As usual, you seemed much surer of yourself and what you wanted, even if you had been slower than him to realize your feelings. He couldn't help but admire how true you were to yourself. Especially by how many souls became faded by the time people reached your age trying to fit into society's constraints.

Sans loved you too. He was certain of that.

But…he liked how things were. How much of that would change if he answered you back? How much would change anyways?

He opened the door quietly, but neither you nor his brother were paying attention. "… is a two-way street, Papyrus. I've been under the impression it's one that you don't want to walk on with me." What? What odd conversation had he walked in on? You sighed, dropping your head into your hands. "So, no. We aren't friends."

Something in his Soul froze at that statement. He couldn't name it, and it grew quickly with you in the room. You didn't consider Papyrus a friend? He knew that before it made sense, but Papyrus had calmed down a significant amount since then. He'd even started trying to be nice to you.

There was no way he could give you an answer right now. Even if he loved you, could he date you if you weren't friends with Papyrus? His brother was the most important Soul in the world to him. It would be rude to keep you here without an answer though. "PLEASE LEAVE." He spoke up.

Both of you looked to him with shocked expressions. It was impressive, really, how quickly you covered your pained surprise in order to comply with his wish. Then again, you were always careful to be respectful of peoples' boundaries.

Nothing could stop how you projected it though. If not for that, he might not have known just how hurt you were. You had taken it as a rejection. That wasn't what he had meant.

He'd been about to correct this when an immense pressure slammed down on the room, from your Soul. You still didn't know you projected, so this wasn't for anyone's sake but your own. You couldn't allow your feelings to interfere in his decision, so you'd pushed them as hard as you could.

Sans was finally able to whisper your name, pained, as you strode toward the door. The pressure of your emotional state made it hard to speak, even with the growing distance. He hadn't meant to hurt you, even if you refused to show it. Papyrus reached for you too, as if to drag you back and let them explain.

He was certain you couldn't look back, even if you'd wanted to. Else you might have fought tooth and nail to stay. His Soul cried out after you.

And the door clicked quietly shut behind you.


	22. Sibling Bonding

_This is stupid._ You told yourself. Your hand stopped centimeters away from your phone. You had turned it off earlier, hoping to work out this feeling before talking to anyone.

You hadn't managed it yet. You let it drop as you flopped backwards onto your bed again.

It hurt. A lot. Much more than you were expecting it to. You cocooned yourself in your blankets, staving off the seasonally cooling air. You might have to invest in a heater soon.

You weren't sure how long you laid there before the interruption came. Your wards flared again as someone tried to come upstairs, but unlike before, they allowed the intrusion. There was only one person that they would ignore in such a way.

Icy cold feet met your warm skin, causing you to flinch, as the intruder crawled under the blankets with you. Their arms wrapped around you comfortingly, and you found yourself reciprocating without really thinking about it.

 _'You okay, _?'_ Chara asked. _'Fuku and Sans are getting worried. You've been up here since yesterday.'_

Huh. You hadn't even known Sans had been here. Your wards had done their job better than you were expecting. Now you felt bad for worrying them.

"I'm…not really." You replied. "It's silly though."

 _'It isn't silly._ ' Chara admonished you immediately. _'They're your feelings. They're important, not silly.'_ There was a short pause. You didn't take advantage of it like they were hoping. _'You promised to be there for me if I ever needed you.'_ They recalled. _'Let me return the favor. Please tell me.'_

So, you did. You told them about the flirting, confessing to Sans, the fight with Papyrus, and Sans's response. Looking back on it, that last part seemed odd at best. It wasn't even an answer, and in hindsight, you realized it may not have even been meant as one.

 _'He told you to leave?'_ Chara interrupted, confounded. _'But he loves you.'_ They argued, mulling it over in their head. The words rang with sincerity. Chara, at least, firmly believed they were true. It made the hurt lessen. _'Are you sure a rejection is how he meant it?'_

"…No. I'm not. I told you it was silly." You finally answered. Chara's glare almost made you bark out a laugh. "I probably took it wrong. I…this is my first time actually…"

 _'You're insecure?'_ Chara deadpanned, grasping your meaning. _'You?'_

"Well, yes. Who isn't at least _some_ of the time?" You retorted with a growing smile. "Thanks, Chara." Their responding smile was as large as Sans's.

* * *

Your phone flooded with messages as you turned it back on. Several apologetic ones from Sans and Papyrus, and quite a few worried ones from Fuku and Chara. You turned to view the young mage, eyebrow raised. They shrugged in response. _'Of course, I would_ try _before just coming up here.'_

You sent quick messages back, reassuring everyone, before letting Chara drag you down your stairs so you would eat something. You dispelled the ward on your door, startled when Chara jumped in surprise next to you.

 _'Do they always make loud cracking sounds like that? It sounded like the barrier breaking all over again.'_ They complained. You laughed.

"It's something wards do, yes. Barriers do it too. Some that are made with specialized magic won't do it, but it'll always happen with sequenced ones." Chara seemed to take this information with great interest.

 _'Does that mean that the barrier that locked away monsters was a sequence?'_ They asked, opening your door. Since it was the middle of the day, the house was clear of people. _'Could a sequence do that?'_

You thought about it for a moment as the teenager ran around your kitchen to throw together a meal. "I would be hard pressed to say it could have been anything _but_ a sequence. Most mages, save healers and very few others, can't openly share their magic with others. You told me that it was seven mages that sealed the monsters underground, so I have trouble believing all of them would have been so compatible. A sequence, however, can draw power from any number of sources without trouble."

 _'But a sequence would take time! It would have to be perfect, too.'_ Chara argued, setting a chicken salad in front of you topped with creamy French dressing.

That was true. If monsters truly had opposed being sealed in the first place, they easily could have just smudged a symbol or two. A spell of that size would have backlashed lethally on the mages casting it, top tier or no. Losing that many top tier mages _could_ have even turned the war in their favor.

You shared this thought with your student between bites of your lunch.

 _'So, they just stood back and let it happen?'_ Chara questioned, starting to get upset.

"There isn't anything _wrong_ with that. Perhaps they didn't want to kill seven human mages. Perhaps they were tired of fighting and knew being sealed would end the war. Maybe both of those things."

 _'If they didn't oppose it in the first place, then why would they use human Souls to break it? Why kill seven humans_ now _instead of_ then _?'_ They thought furiously before bringing a hand up to cover their mouth as if they had spoken.

There was this oddity again. Could it be…? "Are Souls a magical _manifestation_?" Even without Chara's response, things started to click together at this realization.

If they'd managed to create such a self-sustaining spell as the theoretical barrier, it never could be broken without extreme measures. If Souls and magic were as closely tied as you had been assuming, and Souls were a magical thing that could be maintained after the death of its host, then you had the answer.

Not just that, but the sudden color-coding personality test made sense. Monsters could _see_ them. Maybe only under certain circumstances, but you knew for a fact they'd seen yours before, because Sans had complimented it. Not just that you had a _nice_ Soul or an _honest_ Soul, but a _pretty_ one. As though he knew what it _looked_ like.

And that felt severely intimate all of a sudden. There was an actual manifestation of that center of your magic. You knew how to find it inside of yourself, but it had never occurred to you that it was possible for anyone else to see it.

 _'_!'_ Chara's mental shout finally grabbed your attention again. The teenager sighed. _'Let me explain this properly to you.'_

"Okay. That sounds good right now." You replied simply, trying to stop your brain from overworking.

 _'Let's start simply. Yes, a Soul is a thing that actually exists. It looks like a heart you'd find on a valentine's day card.'_ A simple image entered your mind following this statement. _'Most of the time though, humans don't need to know this stuff. We can't access them ourselves, anyway.'_

"Except with magic." You inserted as Chara paused. You rose your gaze to meet Chara's. "Monsters can then?

 _'I'm not sure I would call it that. Our magic comes from our Soul, the same way a monster's does. It isn't the Soul itself, just the closest thing humans can achieve. And yes, under specific circumstances, monsters can access Souls. Please listen to the whole thing before you ask anything. I might end up missing something otherwise.'_

It was a simple enough request. You agreed. The began with the most basic information possible: what a Soul was. The culmination of a person's entire being. It actually had a physical presence, despite the fact it wasn't made of anything physical at all.

They went on to explain, in detail, what a _confrontation_ was. It was essentially a method used by monsters for communication. When used between solely monsters anyway. Since their magic was all very similar, they could share it between their Souls in place of speaking, almost like the way Chara and you spoke. During such an encounter, both Souls would leave the body and share magic with each other.

Since human magic was so different, especially for non-mages, such a confrontation could actually cause _damage_ to the soul. Both Souls involved, actually. It was part of the reason humans didn't know about it, as no monster wanted to be so vulnerable, so it wasn't really happening. On top of the royal decree not to say or do anything about it.

You hadn't met a monster yet who wouldn't do exactly what the monarchs ordered. They were wise and held a very potent loyalty in their subjects. Chara paused for a moment, and you understood it to be for any questions before they continued.

Something didn't quite add up though. "When would they have seen mine then? I'm relatively certain I've never been in an encounter."

 _'It's a rare occurrence, but people who embody their Soul trait a lot can have moments when it's possible to see. Remember the figures for a bond like ours? It's about that level of rarity. Usually, with you I'm told, in an instant when you're feeling really strongly about something, or embodying integrity even more than you usually do, it can show through for a second.'_

This was nothing new then. It couldn't be a bad thing if nobody had ever warned you about it. You relaxed a bit. "They told you?"

 _'I've been pulled into quite a few encounters, so Souls aren't really a taboo to speak about with me like they are most humans. There's something else you need to know relating to this.'_ Chara added, expression serious. _'It isn't just glimpses of your Soul that you show them. You also project quite a few of your thoughts and feelings too.'_

What?

 _What?_

You held up a finger before Chara could explain. It made sense now, how sometimes they wouldn't talk when you were adding a mental thought onto a sentence you'd finished, or how they seemed to know what you were thinking. You'd just figured it was because you were close to them. You paused at that thought, mulling it over.

It _was_ because you were close to them. Muffet never seemed to do it, or Toriel or Asgore. Even Sans, Alphys, and Undyne never had in the beginning. _'You're not wrong. Except for Papyrus, the only ones that can sense it when you give off these projections are people you're close to.'_

"People I trust." You corrected lightly. "Or maybe both. Why the Papyrus exception?" You asked, feeling much better about the whole thing. It wasn't like you usually needed to keep your thoughts a secret anyways.

Chara hesitated. _'It isn't my secret to tell…'_

You held up your hands, placating. "That's fine. I don't want to push you. So. Since we're here, want to do some practice?" You redirected quickly. "Your area of effect control and slowing could use some work."

* * *

Chara enjoyed explaining Souls to you. Was this how _you_ felt when you were teaching them something and they understood it? It felt nice.

Chara obediently put the entire room into a "stop" mode. You grinned, and expression you tended to get whenever you had thought of something interesting to test or show them. They found themselves leaning forward as you flicked a pen. Of course, it didn't move.

Still, you seemed excited about something. Chara released their hold on the room, watching in interest along with you as the pen spun wildly off course. _'What changed?'_

Your expression was positively gleeful as you turned to answer them. "The momentum continues!" Of course, even if something stopped it would continue on its given path once released unless interfered with. That was your first lesson to them.

Unless something interfered. Momentum applied _during_ a stop still counted! If the added momentum would be enough to send an object off course, or move it in a way that it hadn't been when it was stopped, then _that_ momentum would override the starting momentum! There were so many possible applications.

A thought occurred to Chara, watching you wander around their "stopped zone" so easily. _'Why does my magic not work on_ you _?_ ' They asked.

You paused. "Because I'm a part of you. Magically anyways. You aren't trying to stop, slow, fast-forward, or rewind yourself, right? It's the same reason my ward didn't stop you earlier."

Wait. That meant… ' _Does my magic work on_ people _?'_

There wasn't an immediate answer. "I suppose that's something we will have to try. With consent, of course."

You were probably the most awesome person Chara had ever met.


	23. The Trouble With Brothers

It was an odd feeling. It wasn't quite tension or nervousness, but without those, you had no idea what to call it. Both skeleton brothers had sent you almost completely unintelligible texts, eventually settling on talking to you separately after talking to each other. It was alright, you told yourself. Whatever solved things best.

Which left you waiting for them to figure out whatever was going on between them before settling things with you. Before even telling you when they could make time to meet with you.

It was fine. It had turned into a rather complicated situation, after all. You put your phone in your pocket and headed out the door, grabbing your bag on the way. Classes were starting up again, and you'd rather start the semester on a high note.

The walk to school was longer than you remembered it being. Perhaps it had very little to do with the distance, and much more to do with the oppressive mood hanging over you though. After all, neither of the buildings had moved at all.

Your phone flew to your hand when it dinged, hopeful. It was dashed as the message turned out to be from Jamie, a well-wish for your new year at school. How had he known it was supposed to start today? You sent back a quick thank you message before entering the building.

You didn't have any classes with Fuku this semester. What a letdown.

* * *

Halfway through your last class of the day, your phone buzzed, you having turned off the ringer respectfully. It took everything you had not to check it again in the middle of the lesson. Especially since your professor just looked like she might break it if you pulled it out.

Nothing stopped you once that hour was up though. It was Papyrus, thankfully. He wanted to meet you at Muffet's for lunch again, his treat.

It felt like a much friendlier invitation than the first time.

Muffet had chosen an awesome location, you had to admit. Getting a coffee and sweets shop so close to college students and keeping the prices manageable definitely brought her a loyal customer base. You walked in without hesitation this time.

Papyrus had already grabbed a table and was sipping on a jug of honey as if he'd been waiting awhile. Which was possible, considering he'd texted you in the middle of class. You ordered a couple of treats from the counter before joining him.

"i'm sorry." He stated as soon as you sat down. "this whole mess is my fault."

This was news to you. "How do you figure? I thought it was mine."

Papyrus snorted, _actually snorted_ , in disbelief. "nah, that's 'cause you always try to blame yourself for everything." Well. Who knew Papyrus actually knew things about you? "sans heard the tail end of our conversation and was worried about trying to date someone who wasn't friends with me." Papyrus explained suddenly. "so essentially the whole problem stems from me, not you."

"Or the both of us. That's a fair assumption too." You countered. Papyrus studied you for a few seconds before nodding.

"we'll share the blame then. he wanted time to think, and asked you to leave because it would be rude to not give you an answer immediately. he's just never dealt with this stuff before, so he said it wrong." Papyrus continued.

"Papyrus." You interrupted. He stopped talking at your stern tone. "This is something I need to talk to _Sans_ about. You and I have an entirely different problem. I get that you're looking out for him, but he needs to do that himself. _Our_ problem is the friends-not-friends thing. Let's focus on that."

Papyrus leaned back in his seat, taking another sip from the jar. "right. friends. with you." He said.

"Don't make it sound so terrible." You joked, finally reaching into the bag for a spider donut. "I don't think I'm _that_ bad a friend to have. And it isn't like you _have_ to be friends with me."

"i'm pretty sure i have to be friends with my brother's girlfriend." He retorted.

"Not unless _you_ want to. And I'm not his girlfriend. Maybe not yet, maybe not at all. We can be on amicable terms without being friends, if that's what you prefer Papyrus. Even if we decide to be friends, it isn't going to happen as soon as we decide it anyways." You took a bite of the treat.

The rich flavor took over your mouth. It wasn't too sugary, which was odd for a donut, but it definitely made you want to eat more. The magic food dissolved at the back of your mouth as you swallowed, converting into energy like all magical food did. Wow.

"i don't really know if i want to be friends with you. i mean, i was a little offended that you didn't see me as one, but if i look at it logically it makes sense." He paused, unsure. "i'm more than a small bit of a jerk to you."

"I can deal with you being a jerk, so long as you do it in a friendly way. We can also just wait and see what happens. If we become friends, great. If not, well, that's fine too." You set the second spider donut in front of him as you finished off your own.

"i like you, as a person. you're not bad. i just…"

"Can't trust humans or mages?" You finished for him. At his surprised expression, you explained, "I get that a lot. We, actually," you corrected, "since it's a common problem with mages. It's fine. I'm used to it. You can't really have a relationship, even a platonic one without trust, though. Hopefully we can build some."

He was silent for a moment before standing, eagerly grabbing his spider donut off the table. "we'll see how it goes then. glad we had this talk."

You waved goodbye before dropping your head into your hands. This was stressful. You needed a mocha.

* * *

Grillby raised a fiery eyebrow when you walked in with another of Muffet's wonderful chai tea lattes. You'd spent more than you were willing to admit trying out her drinks menu, unwilling to let her give you free refills. You didn't want special treatment just because you were Fuku's best friend.

It was such a stark contrast from Grillby, who still made you pay full price if you wanted a meal from the bar. You were used to that.

You moved quickly to the back, quickly tying your hair back after setting your drink down. You prided yourself in your ability to completely change outfits in less than a minute, and you took full advantage of that ability now.

Quickly finishing off your drink, and burning your tongue a little in the process, you tossed the empty cup into the trash before heading back out into the main bar to work your shift. "Rough day?" Grillby asked when you reemerged.

"Kind of. Better than it could have been."

An odd expression crossed his face. "Boy trouble?" he questioned. You could feel the blush spreading to the tips of your ears as you threw a menu in his face. He laughed it off good-naturedly, surprising the only patron in the bar. To be honest, it surprised _you_ a bit too. Grillby was usually all-business at work.

When the smile crossed your face, he went back to normal. Ah. So, he was trying to cheer you up?

You shook your head, amused, as you moved to prep the tables. The smile didn't fade.

It was a busy night, for a weekday. Several people spent a good amount of the night chugging the alcohol. You were a pretty girl; you knew this fact. It definitely helped you hone your drunk-dodging skills. Most of the sober patrons were always good about it, but the drunker ones could start getting a little handsy.

Even the monsters, which struck you as a bit odd. You vaguely thought that if they were going to get handsy with anyone, it would be Fuku, not you. Then again, Grillby might kill someone if they dared touch his daughter.

Still, it was nothing new. It wasn't necessarily that you could sense where they were reaching or anything, or that your magic warned you. Neither of those were true, but your body still moved out of the way of any too-grabby hands with little input from you.

A shiver ran through the air as the door swung open and closed, the feeling only slightly preempted by the ring of the bell above the door. You cursed the summer uniform you were stuck wearing as you turned to greet the new customers.

* * *

Thankfully, the swarm faded by about an hour to closing, so the three of you could get everything cleaned up on schedule. You had just taken out the trash when the bell on the door dinged again. Confused, you headed back through the kitchen to the main bar. There were only a few minutes left until closing. Who would come now?

A flash of grey caught your attention as you peeked out: Sans's armor.

What was Sans doing here at almost four in the morning? Usually it was to walk you home, but Fuku had worked with you today, so that couldn't be it. Did he want to talk?

Honestly, that option made the most sense.

The anxiety over what he might say faded quickly. He wouldn't come here at four in the morning if he didn't care at all, so that meant with little doubt, no matter what happened you were still friends.

You stepped out, crossing the distance with easy strides. Sans turned at your approach, interrupting his surprisingly muted conversation with Grillby. "Hey you. You're in late." You greeted.

Sans studied you for a few seconds before he responded. "IT'S THE BEST TIME TO SEE YOU." And there was your blush again. Could it manage to stay away for one serious conversation?

Apparently not.

Grillby tapped on Sans's shoulder, and he turned. The fire elemental studied him for a moment. After uttering a simple, "You may," he turned back to his work. The ever-present grin on Sans's face grew to massive proportions.

What did you miss?

* * *

When Sans had walked in, Grillby hadn't been quite sure what to do. He'd been teasing you earlier when he asked about boy trouble, but that didn't produce the correct response: it had been true. There was only one person you were actually showing a romantic interest in, and it didn't take a rocket scientist to figure out who it was.

He wasn't sure how to feel, knowing that troubles with Sans had caused you to be so…melancholy. It was an odd state for you, one he hadn't seen in nearly two years.

Back then, you never smiled. When you had first applied for the position, he hadn't been sure if you were at all a good fit, but as his only applicant in months he hadn't had a choice. You had been guarded, not allowing anyone close at all. Never showing what you felt, except through your Soul, which you couldn't control.

You did your job well, cutting down on the shared workload between himself and Fuku considerably. You were always pleasant, even chatting with his customers amicably, so he hadn't ever seen a reason to replace you. Even if you _were_ in a perpetual state of gloom.

Somewhere along the line, that had changed. The first few times that smirk crossed your face, he hadn't cared at all. You were an employee, nothing more. But as you proved to be a friend to Fuku, and that smirk turned into a smile, he found himself caring far more than he'd ever expected.

When you had revealed your magic by healing Fuku during those anti-monster riots, a different sort of feeling settled in. Combined with your generally unhappy state, it didn't take long to occur to him what it meant that you had never used your magic around them. You weren't using it at all.

He knew how human mages worked. One has to know their enemy, after all.

But he found himself worried. You'd become important to both him and Fuku, and he didn't want to lose you in such a way. He did the only thing he could by keeping you close.

You improved, so much he didn't dare believe it. But your smile never faded again. You kept smiling even in the worst of situations. Almost as if nothing the world threw at you could compare to what you had gained.

Your mood when you walked in was so much like those early days, panic gripped him. It was a terrifying thought that anything, especially Sans, could bring you back to any semblance of that state. Still, you had smiled easily, quelling his panic.

It didn't change his bias when the skeleton in question had entered through the door. Even Grillby's surprise at being asked if Sans could date you didn't cover it completely.

He hadn't been able to come up with a response, so he'd simply glared. "I KNOW I MESSED UP. I UPSET HER. AND I NEED TO MAKE THAT RIGHT FIRST. I'M ASKING FOR AFTER THAT."

"Why ask me?" Grillby demanded, still sour.

Sans had seemed surprised at the question. "YOU'RE PRETTY MUCH HER DAD, AREN'T YOU?"

You had reentered from the back before Grillby could answer. Your Soul practically lit up the room at seeing him, a fact Grillby couldn't ignore. Sans couldn't either, apparently, as he turned to you.

With a sigh, Grillby resigned himself. It made you happy, like Muffet did for Fuku. How could he argue with that?


	24. I Love You Too

Four in the morning was not the best time for coffee, so you ordered a hot cocoa instead. You still needed _some_ sleep before you went to classes tomorrow. Thankfully, your first one wasn't until ten in the morning.

You were too anxious to argue when Muffet refused your money and pointed you to the table Sans had sat down at. This was the first time you had really looked at anyone romantically in a situation where reciprocation was a possibility, and it was nerve-wracking.

When you were growing up, boys in the academy that you'd been attracted to inevitably were attracted to someone prettier or more popular or more outgoing. Or at least, someone who didn't spend most of her time studying in a corner.

The past few years since becoming an adult, there were only a few people you'd considered. All of them had either turned you down early on, when you started flirting, or were already in a relationship.

It occurred to you now what it meant that those rejections hadn't really hurt. Those had simply been people you were attracted to, not in love with. You hadn't been quite so invested in the potential relationship. Not like you were now.

Which made Sans's soon-to-come answer all the more terrifying.

What would you do if he said no? You couldn't just hide in your room for an eternity. What if he agreed? What if it didn't end up working out? You'd seen quite a few interspecies relationships that had only lasted a few months at best.

You sat down.

"I'M SORRY." He began immediately. "I SHOULD HAVE CORRECTED YOU BEFORE YOU LEFT. I WASN'T REJECTING YOU."

A nervous smile crossed your face as he stared at you intently. "I've come to realize that. I shouldn't have taken it in that way. Especially since you make yourself quite clear most times."

"I DIDN'T HAVE AN ANSWER FOR YOU AND IT FELT RUDE TO MAKE YOU WAIT THERE IF I WASN'T GOING TO HAVE ONE SOON." He explained. "IT'S JUST…I DON'T…PAPYRUS IS…"

"Papyrus told me some of it. I understand." Sans paused for a moment. "I kinda get it. You and your brother are close; he's important to you. I'd probably feel the same unease if you didn't like my brother and sister. But I need to clear that up. I don't _dislike_ Papyrus. In fact, I think he's a pretty respectable guy in some aspects. I just don't trust him. And, he doesn't trust me either."

Sans's eye-lights flickered down to your chest. After the explanation from Chara, you finally understood what he was looking at. Souls were important to monsters, so you didn't feel any unease at his momentary gaze.

"TRUST IS IMPORTANT," He acknowledged. He seemed to debate with himself a bit before asking, "DO…DO YOU TRUST ME?"

There was no hesitation in your reply. "Yes."

Sans seemed to relax a bit as his eye-lights met your gaze. His smile grew. "I TRUST YOU TOO. I THINK I WAS WORRIED, BUT I KNOW YOU WOULD NEVER DO ANYTHING BAD. YOU'RE RIGHT. PAPYRUS IS REALLY IMORTANT TO ME. WE'VE BEEN TOGETHER FOREVER. I TOOK CARE OF HIM WHEN HE WAS JUST A BABYBONES."

You found yourself tracing the top of your cup with your finger as Sans studied the grain of the table.

"I WAS SURPRISED WHEN YOU TOLD ME YOU LOVED ME. I MEAN, I HAD BEEN HOPING YOU FELT THE SAME WAY I DID," Your heart jumped into your throat at his admission, "BUT I GUESS I WAS SCARED. I SHOULD HAVE TOLD YOU, BUT I DIDN'T WANT THINGS TO CHANGE." He hesitated before spitting out the next words. "I WAS A COWARD, AND HURT YOU BECAUSE OF IT."

You reached across the table to grip his hand, causing him to look up at you again. You gave him a soft smile, and spoke in a voice that you were proud didn't waver at all, despite your nervousness. "How's about we try this again then? Hey Sans?"

He choked on his reply. "Y-YES _?"

"I'm in love with you." You repeated.

Sans's eye sockets closed, gathering magic as he replied, "I LOVE YOU TOO." Was he starting to cry? He caught your hand as you moved to pull it away so you could wipe his eyes. As if he were afraid you would disappear if he let go.

Suddenly the you knew the reason. You _had_ disappeared. Last time after you said those exact words. You'd left when he asked you and locked yourself in your room for two days with your phone off. You'd only come out on the third day because Chara made you, and nobody else had gotten to see you until Fuku that night.

And you know he'd tried.

But you'd as good as vanished from him.

Your situation wasn't unique; he was just as terrified as you were.

You brought your other hand up, brushing against his skull as the magic gathered enough to form tears and began to streak down his face. His other hand moved to keep it there as your thumb brushed away the magic. You tugged on him gently, bringing his forehead to rest against yours as he let out the first sob.

"I'm sorry." You whispered to him when he released your hand to grip your shirt. "I won't disappear. I promise." You held on to him patiently as he sobbed quietly, awkward as it was over the table.

* * *

You had no idea what to say. After all, what _does_ one say to the older sister who just squealed your ear off through the phone. Eve had called you without bothering to be able to put together a coherent sentence first.

You blamed Damien. There was no other way for her to know yet.

And if Damien had been involved, both of them had probably known the whole thing before you did. You might have been annoyed if you hadn't lived with it your whole life.

You set the phone down and waited for her to breathe properly. It took a few minutes before she did so with no hysterics. "Your first boyfriend! I'm so proud!" Eve finally shouted at you once she remembered what words were.

"Just my first?" You questioned, waiting for her to enter _I-can't-tell-you_ mode.

As predicted, "You know I won't tell you. I mean your first boyfriend as you haven't had one _before_. No indication of the future. Besides, I don't even know. Damien doesn't tell _me_ that much either." She paused for a second before continuing, "So what are you guys going to do for your first date?"

You glanced over to the large pile of sticky note possibilities you'd come up with of things you'd both enjoy. "Uh…about that…" you trailed off, not really wanting to try to go through it a fourth time.

"Try minigolf? Sans seemed like a pretty active guy."

"How did you even know that was in my pile Eve?" You interrogated as you fished the sticky note out from the pile. It had three different possible locations written on it for you to research and choose from.

"Dude. _. I'm your sister. A couple years of only seeing each other a couple times won't change that. I know you. Try not to overthink it too much. You like him. He likes you. Just let it evolve."

"Coming from all your relationship expertise?" You teased, crossing off one of the locations since it was closed after August.

"Hey, I'm getting married in a couple months. I have more expertise than _you_ do." Eve protested. "Miss first boyfriend." She added, grumbling. "Speaking of, are you going to be able to make it?"

"Barring any unforeseen circumstances, yes Eve. I will be at your wedding." You both paused for a few seconds before you asked the necessary question. "Will Mother and Father be there? We can't exactly hide your magic there. Or all the guests'. Or the groom's."

"Yes. They are attending. That's something we need to all talk about. I was planning to tell them the truth." Eve replied seriously.

You immediately mentally rejected the idea. It was so odd, as much as you insisted on the truth in most situations how this one could cause you so much panic. Eve was right though. You couldn't hide the truth forever, nor should you have to. There was no reason you should have to go against everything you believed in anymore just to keep two people happy that you barely cared about because they didn't even _know_ you.

They couldn't touch you anymore. None of you. "I'm fine with it. During the family holiday then?" You suggested, voice much calmer than you were.

"I'll have to talk to Damien about it." You heard a door open and close in the background of the call. "Oh, hey Sweetie. I've gotta go, _. Good luck with your date!" Click.

You head dropped onto the table, straight into the middle of the pile of sticky notes.

* * *

Sans was, of course, stoked by the minigolf suggestion. So stoked, in fact, that he'd immediately turned and tried to invite Alphys along. Thankfully, she turned him down with a loud guffaw as you hid your beet-red face in your hands.

"_? WHAT'S WRONG?" He asked once he noticed.

You mumbled into your hands unintelligibly. Gently, Sans gripped your wrists and tugged them away from your face, squatting down a bit so he could look up at you. You hadn't known it was possible to blush even more, but the sudden proximity had proved the truth to you.

"She wants to take you on a _date_ , Sans. Y'know, the kind that _couples_ go on?" Alphys informed him, still highly amused.

Suddenly you weren't the only one blushing. Alphys strode away with a cackle.

You twisted your hands before Sans could pull away, catching his wrists in your grip. "So, yeah. Let me try that again. Would you like to go play minigolf with me? As a _date?_ " You added this time, just to clarify.

Sans skull was the color of your magic as he agreed. You vaguely wondered what color _his_ magic would be. Chara had told you that colored magic was different for monsters, as their Souls were all white.

The blush on your face didn't fade at all as you worked up the courage to hold his hand on the walk. You managed, lacing your fingers through his when your steps matched up correctly. You breathed a sigh of relief when his phalanges gripped you back.

Why did something so simple seem so, so intimate?

* * *

Undyne was in the middle of a precise calculation when Alphys burst in. With a sigh, Undyne resigned herself to asking the queen for yet another door replacement in the lab before turning to discover what had her fiancé so excited.

"Babe, you're never going to believe this!" Alphys was shouting.

Undyne lifted her coffee to her lips, waiting for her lover to get to the point. Alphys could be quite excitable about everything, and acting excited before she knew what it was about would inevitably lead to never finding out what Alphys wanted to tell her.

It had happened more times than she could count. Especially early in their relationship. Alphys would barge in, excited about something. Undyne would reciprocate the excitement and in all the intense blubbering, Alphys would forget what exactly she had been excited about in the first place.

Honestly, it was the best option to get excited only _after_ she knew what she was supposed to be excited about.

"_ asked Sans on a _date!_ "

Undyne almost felt sorry for the fact that she had just covered Alphys in hot coffee from spitting it out so quickly.

 _Almost._


	25. Legal Custody

Undyne caught you right after classes, interrupting a yawn as you exited the lecture hall. "I need to t-talk to y-you!" She exclaimed, grabbing your wrist and dragging you off. "A-are you dating S-Sans?" She demanded as soon as the buildings were behind you, still not easing up on the pace.

"Yes." You replied, dodging a telephone pole the determined monster almost walked you into. "We did go on a date. Why are you asking?"

Undyne let out a very frustrated noise as she walked faster. She stopped abruptly in front of a building you recognized, punching a code into a keypad by the door before dragging you inside the monster embassy. Ignoring the cautious looks and comments of the monsters inside who didn't know you, Undyne dragged you to the elevator.

"Th-there's things you sh-should know before d-dating a monster, b-but…" She stuttered as she pushed a button.

"You aren't allowed to tell me about Souls." You finished for her. The expression of shock she sent to you would have made you laugh if she didn't look so serious. "Some I figured out, and some Chara told me to avoid misconceptions." You explained quickly. "Why are we at the embassy?"

"O-of course Chara." Undyne uttered, irked. "If y-you already know, th-then we are g-going to t-talk about it l-later. We're a-at the embassy b-because y-you're Chara's c-closest l-legal family."

"What? What about Toriel and Asgore?" You questioned. "They were granted custody."

"Indeed, th-they were. B-but your h-human c-courts can't h-honor any decision th-they make." Something in Undyne's expression told you not to ask again.

 _'_!'_ You heard Chara yell through your magic as the elevator dinged. _'You're here!'_

 _'You have a lot of legal troubles, kiddo.'_ You replied silently, taking in all the suits people in the room were wearing. You signed a hello to Chara as they approached you, more for the understanding of the people watching than for Chara themself.

You held up an irritated finger to the first person who tried to burst your eardrums with yelling about their problems, causing them to go silent as Chara signed at you. You still weren't quite quick enough to pick up on all of it, but thankfully your sibling was also magically translating for you, which allowed you to pay attention to the room as well.

At the edge of your hearing, you could pick up someone translating the sign language for the cameras and viewers. You could also hear Toriel arguing with one of the humans as Asgore sent you a quick sign. _'Please help.'_

Chara's parents had filed a suit for their child's return from their temporary guardianship under monsters. At least that's the way the suit was worded, despite the fact that Asgore and Toriel had been granted full custody. Still, with their legal guardianship in question, you were Chara's official guardian, since you were magically bonded and all the paperwork had been processed.

You were more a more legally obligated guardian than Chara's own parents were.

Which was why they called you in.

With a basic grasp of the situation, you held your hand out to the teen, who took it easily before turning to the many occupants of the room. "One of you. Just one. Choose." You ordered authoritatively, trying to ignore the camera practically being shoved in your face.

You didn't need to make things worse.

They conferred amongst themselves before a middle-aged lawyer stepped forward. Rather than allowing him to try to explain the situation, you spoke quickly. "So Chara's birth parents are fighting for custody of them with King Asgore and Queen Toriel, correct?" You prompted as you took the head seat at the table with Chara claiming the seat to your immediate right.

"That is correct. With the guardianship in question, the child cannot be allowed to reside with the monarchs." Which would bring Chara well out of the reach of Mt. Ebott if they were going to put them with their parents or in protective custody.

Now you knew why the monarchs had sent for you. Did they realize the implications of what they were asking you to do? You sincerely hoped so, or you were about to royally piss them off.

You swallowed the lump in your throat, terrified as you were about to announce to national television that you were a mage. "Well, there's a simple solution then. Chara will stay with me in the meantime, since I'm also their legal guardian." You stated simply, making sure to word it as a definite outcome rather than a possibility.

"You…?" The lawyer stumbled over his words for a moment before recovering his composure. "I don't believe it is that simple. If the monarchs' custody is called into question, then surely _yours_ will be too."

Your phone was already in your hand, dialing a number you'd hoped to never need to call. Placing it on speaker so the lawyer could easily hear and talk as well if needed, you placed it on the table in front of you. "Turtle Falls Academy, Headmistress Fiora speaking. How may I help you?"

"Headmistress, it's _. I need a copy of the custody paperwork from a few months ago." You said simply. Without the proper greeting, it warned her that you were not the only one on the other side listening.

"Of course." She replied, cautious. She knew as well as you did what could happen if even one word was out of place. "Do you remember the case number?"

You rattled the fifteen-digit number from memory easily, as well as repeating the fax number someone had written and placed in front of you. A strange feeling rose up in you as the headmistress sent it and the machine began to whir.

You hadn't wanted to ever use these sheets of paper.

"Have you received them, Ms. _?" She asked tensely.

"I believe they are printing now. Thank you, headmistress." As you spoke, an intern crossed the distance to the table holding the papers. She set three sheets in front of the lawyer, holding on to the others, which you were sure was an extra copy for their files.

"Excellent. Is there anything else I can help you with?" She asked professionally.

"I don't believe so headmistress. Thank you for your time." She politely ended the call as the lawyers began to read over the papers. Then read them again.

The man read them through a third time, looking for any possible loophole before he sat back. "I stand corrected. As the relationship between a mage and their student constitutes an ancient and binding contract, your right to custody of the child overrides any other claims." And there it was. Ignoring the fact he'd just proclaimed to anyone in the world that may not have known both you and Chara were mages, he continued. "Even blood relations. In fact, now that you've invoked this, your custody even overrides King Asgore and Queen Toriel's. The child will stay with you."

"Since that's settled…" You trailed off confidently, reaching for your paperwork as the cameramen began to close in.

Several people tried to surge forward then, hoping to pester both yourself and Chara with questions, but you were having none of it, slipping between them easily with all the practice of a waitress who worked at a bar, bringing Chara along with you into the elevator.

You hit the button for the top floor, knowing the building would be surrounded for hours.

You back hit the wall of the elevator as the machine whirred into action, sinking to the floor. "I'm sorry Chara." You stated, dropping your head onto your knees as Chara pressed several of the elevator buttons in a certain order. "Toriel and Asgore won't legally be your parents anymore."

 _'Is that why you never bothered getting a copy of those papers?'_ They asked. You nodded, flinching a bit when they sank to the ground beside you. _'I can deal with it. It's a much better option than being shipped out of Ebott entirely, maybe not being allowed to come back until I'm eighteen.'_

The two of you sat in an almost comfortable silence, ignoring the elevator door as it opened and closed.

Your ringtone broke the silence, but you couldn't bring yourself to answer it. There were several possibilities of who was calling and why, and none of them were anything you wanted to deal with right now.

The twins had definitely watched. Eve had probably seen it livestreamed on the internet, with Damien listening silently behind her. They would be worried. You didn't want to worry any more right now.

Your parents were avid news-watchers, always looking for the newest gossip. The cat was definitely out of the bag in that respect. You didn't want to hear from them either. You'd had more than enough of their bigoted hate speech when it _wasn't_ directed at you.

The only call you would _want_ to answer would be one from Sans, making sure the two of you were okay, but you were certain that there were messages on the device you didn't want to see, so you didn't bother to even reach for it.

But you had promised, you reminded yourself. Sans needed to be able to get a hold of you, which was the only reason you managed to convince yourself to bring the cell out of your pocket to check who all had called. Sans was not among them, so you dropped the object in the middle of the elevator after turning the ringer off. Chara allowed their head to drop onto your shoulder, and the comfortable silence resumed.

Eventually, despite the fact Chara had locked the elevator, the doors opened and a blue glove presented itself to you. You took it and let Sans help you to your feet, Chara right behind.

You were right. It was still several hours before any of you had the slightest chance of not being assaulted by the media if you tried to leave the building. In that time, you didn't see either monarch, assuming they were battling the press.

There really wasn't anyone else for that matter, which almost surprised you. After all, Chara was monsterkind's savior. All of them would want to make sure the child was well after the tense afternoon. The presence of Alphys, Sans, and the Canine Unit gave you your answer though.

The royal guard had cordoned off the top floor, knowing that you and Chara were there well before your boyfriend had come to fetch you from the elevator.

You laid your head down on the desk in front of you, still holding Sans's hand as you drifted off.

* * *

Asgore felt his Soul _twist_ when he realized that they had a potential way to keep Chara around despite the suit, and realized what it would mean. Still, he had mentioned the option to Toriel who had immediately sent Undyne after you, since she wasn't a member of the royal guard and could move much more freely.

He almost regretted it when your emotional state weighed down the room.

You were terrified.

Still, you hid it well. You spoke with absolute confidence, making it seem almost ludicrous that anyone in their right mind would question you. It was the authority of someone who knew what she was doing, whether she particularly wanted to or not.

You knew how to handle people. And you did it well.

You easily slipped into Toriel's seat at the table, immediately establishing your dominance over the conversation seemingly without effort. You also placed Chara in his own seat, positioning them as only just under you, yet above the lawyer in stature.

The effect was immediate as the seasoned professional found himself stuttering in the face of your absolute control.

Did you gain this skill from years of being persecuted for your mage status, or from needing an absolute authority that would be obeyed by patients? He'd seen you use this easy manipulation once before, just as seamlessly when you became Chara's teacher officially.

He hadn't thought much of it then, but watching you use it now on national television with so much at stake with nary a single misstep, Asgore found himself wondering.

Then the lawyer had declared your victory, and that pang shot through his Soul again as he affirmed that _your_ custody overwrote anyone else's claims to it, including their own. Toriel had turned to him, shock clear on her features.

He had known. Asgore had known what was coming and hadn't told her for fear of having her argue and potentially losing their child.

You weren't responsible for her ire; he was. And he would take responsibility for it.


	26. Family Matters

"SWEET PEA?" Sans questioned from the bathroom.

You paused in your work, hauling Chara's dresser through the portal into the house. "No, Sans. Sweet pea is not my favorite." You informed him with a smile.

"BUT YOU HAVE NINE OF THEM IN THAT SCENT!" He protested. You peeked down the hallway at him, giggling a little as his brow clenched in concentration. Shaking your head a little, you reentered your guest room, soon to house a teenager full time. The west wall housed a wide portal to Chara's old room to make the move simple.

It hadn't taken long for you to get permission to make one after the debacle on national television.

"No! TeMmIe ReFuSeS tO sTaY iF cHaRa Is LeAvInG!" a nasally voice protested as the small creature wrested itself away from Asgore's hold to dash through the portal into Chara's new room.

You sent a stern look to the Temmie. "No attacking me this time then." You ordered. "If you do, you can't stay."

A strange glimmer entered the monster's eyes as it regarded you. "ArE yOu ThReAtEnInG tEm?"

You squatted down, evening your gaze with the proud creature. "Yes." You replied in a low tone.

The small monster scoffed and looked away, so you stood again. He trotted over to the door and, after shooting a glare at you, went to explore the house. _'He isn't bad.'_ Chara informed you as you finished pulling their dresser into its new place.

 _'I know.'_ You replied just as silently. _'Very few people truly are.'_

Undyne slipped through the portal holding a small box. "S-some more t-toiletries for Sans to a-arrange." She explained as she sidled by to get to the hallway.

You opened your mouth to respond when bright light flared behind your eyes, momentarily blinding you. The wards you had placed around the house, which had yet to do their job, screeched a warning at you as they flared to life.

You blinked away the dark spots in your vision as you stumbled toward the main room, wondering who had tried to get in. Papyrus, who'd been lounging on the couch as you all had worked, stood by your front window, gazing out expressionlessly. The crystal that hung by the door was actively glowing, as it _was_ the magic source for the now-active protections, illuminating the symbols etched into its surface.

"Who's here?" You questioned, hand resting on the corner of the wall to steady yourself as your vision righted itself.

"chara's parents." He answered, just as blank as before.

You reacted quickly. "You guys go back to Asgore's, have Chara close the portal momentarily. I suppose I am about to entertain guests."

Papyrus's gaze shot to you, his expression something you'd never seen cross his face. He glanced behind you at the gathered monsters and teenager before nodding. "yeah, sure."

You ruffled Chara's hair. "I'll call when it's time to get back to work, 'kay? Enjoy your break. Have some pie and tea with Asgore."

 _'Are you sure? I…_ ' They hesitated, magic causing static as they tried to lie.

 _'You're not fine. Trust me. This is part of my responsibility as your guardian. I can handle this.'_ They turned, allowing Undyne to lead them back down the hallway. They grabbed Sans's hand on the way, not allowing him to stay behind either.

 _'Tell me later?'_ They asked, pausing outside of the portal as you approached your front door.

 _'I promise._ ' You waited until you felt the magic cut off before you opened the door, standing face to face with two adults that looked remarkably like your newest family member.

The woman was very pregnant. And very angry.

"You _Bit-."_ You cut off the expletive by slamming the door in her face. It took a minute for the swearing to cut off, and when it did you opened the door again.

"Are we capable of speaking like adults now?" You questioned, still aware of the glass-like surface of the wards in between you and them. They weren't mages, judging by the way they kept focusing on it instead of you.

Like _your_ parents.

The woman was still seething, but held her tongue. The man nodded, speaking an apology for his wife's behavior. With a nod, you reached up to the crystal, fingers sending magic into it as they brushed its smooth surface and turning it off.

The protective bubble surrounding your house disappeared. "Please come in." You invited, moving aside so that the pair could enter. You shut the door behind them, motioning to the living room furniture as you dipped into the kitchen to grab everyone a bottle of water from the table. "I'd ask your business, but I'm pretty sure I know it already. They aren't here." You informed them as they glanced around. "It's moving day. Chara's still at Asgore's place."

"We can speak freely then." The man spoke. "You are the mage that has gained custody of our child."

"Irrevocably so." You confirmed, taking a seat in the recliner across from the couch where they had found their own seats.

"Why did you have to interfere?" The woman growled.

You almost sighed. Thankfully, you managed to hold it back. "I interfered because Chara asked me to. They didn't want to leave, even temporarily, and I had the ability to help them. It's best if we're close anyway, as I _do_ still have the responsibility of teaching them. If they were going to leave Ebott, I wouldn't have had a choice anyway."

"We just wanted our family back."

"So you could raise the new kid with a sibling, I assume?" you inquired, already knowing the answer. It was actually a good reason, even if the execution was poor. "That's all well and good, but did you even think to ask Chara about it? As far as I know, they hadn't heard a word about it before two days ago."

"Because the child won't _speak_ with us! We've left several messages asking for a call back, and never got one! Even so, children's opinions can't legally be taken into account. It would have to be settled between us and them anyway." The woman screamed at you before her husband calmed her down yet again.

 _And that didn't give you a clue?_ You wondered. "It may be unnecessary for the courts to take a child's opinion into account, but that doesn't mean that they don't. And Asgore and Toriel? I have a hard time believing either of them would screen your calls. Actually, they should be the first people you would contact, as you were trying to take custody from _them_."

Guilt crossed their faces for an instant before the woman opened her mouth again. "Of course we called! We couldn't get an answer…" Her voice faded from your mind as one loud word repeated itself to you.

Lie.

 _Lie_.

 ** _Lie_**.

You didn't even know what you were doing as you swiftly stood. When you regained control of yourself, you noticed that you had emptied your entire bottle of water over her head, shocking her into silence. Well, _that_ wasn't where you'd expected this conversation to go.

"You-." The man began, furious, but you cut him off.

"I hate liars." You informed them. "Try acting like proper adults next time. Get out of my house or I will throw you out." Well, you would try. Your self defense lessons were moving along, but you had no clue how to properly throw someone.

It turned out to be unnecessary, as they left of their own accord.

"I tHiNk I lIkE yOu HuMaN." A high pitched, nasally voice stated from behind you. "nEvEr KnEw YoU hAd It In YoU tO dO sOmEtHiNg LiKe ThAt."

You turned to regard the Temmie. "It isn't like you even know me at all," you responded simply. "Maybe that'll change though." You told him as you lifted your phone from your pocket.

* * *

"Careful Fuku. Couch is wet." You called from your place in the kitchen over the stove when you heard the front door open. You were frying some seasoned potatoes while the chicken baked in the oven. You usually didn't bother with the extensive meals, but you had quite a crowd for dinner tonight.

"Why?" She asked, poking her head through the archway into the dining room where she could view you.

"I threw water on Chara's mother." You replied simply as Alphys snickered. She had found the whole situation, as you had explained it in detail for the monarchs, extremely hilarious. Even Chara, serious as they found the whole situation, couldn't stop the smile that crossed their lips. "It isn't that funny, guys. She _lied_. To my _face_."

Now even Fuku was smiling. "Not everyone is so acutely aware of truth and lies as you are, _. She probably thought she would get away with it, since it's actually pretty normal."

Asgore turned to you then. "How did you know it was a lie? I can confirm that Toriel and I never received a call, but you didn't know that, to the extent of my knowledge."

You were silent for a moment, trying to find your words as you stirred the potatoes again. "I'm not really sure how it works." You finally settled on. "Ever since I was little, sometimes I would get this weird feeling when people talked. It's cold and tingly, like the feeling you get before a jump-scare in a horror movie. It was a long time before I knew what it meant though."

 _'Magic?'_ Chara asked, making sure to sign so the rest of the room knew they had asked you something.

"No. It isn't the same as magic. Even with the most instinctual magic, in order to use it, it has a _purpose_. A purpose the user knows. I didn't know what it was. I felt it randomly, when my father said he was working late, when the neighbor kid boasted about making it all the way to the top of the tree without falling, or when my sister told me she hated me. I never knew what it was then. Magic doesn't work that way."

"It m-means a l-lie?" Undyne concluded.

You nodded, taking the potatoes off the heat. "It took until I was nine to finally figure it out. As I said before, I still don't know how it works."

"I DO." Sans inserted. "IT'S YOUR SOUL TRAIT. SINCE YOU EMBODY YOUR TRAIT SO WELL, AND SINCE YOUR SOUL IS INTEGRITY, YOU'VE DEVELOPED AN ABILITY WITH IT THAT LETS YOU KNOW WHEN PEOPLE ARE LYING."

"Sans!" Asgore admonished immediately. You cut in quickly, hoping to keep your boyfriend out of trouble.

"I already know about Souls, Your Majesty. At least on a rudimentary level." At his darkly confused expression you continued, "Some of it I figured out on my own. Then Chara sat me down for an explanation so I didn't misconstrue anything."

"Really?" Fuku inquired, shocked. "You didn't tell me?"

"Chara said it was an uncomfortable topic for monsters, so I didn't want to bring it up." You replied honestly.

"Th-that's right. T-there's still a l-lot we have t-to t-talk about." Undyne stuttered, remembering the conversation you promised her. "I'm pretty s-sure Sans i-is correct about th-the ability th-though." The room fell into a silence after her confirmation.

* * *

Fuku waited until the guests had left before asking you.

"If you know about Souls, do you mind if I look?" Fuku asked suddenly. "There's something I've been curious about since your bond with Chara."

"Sure. Go ahead." You replied instantly.

Did you really know? Were you truly aware of the implications of what she was asking you, or did you just trust her that much? Fuku couldn't bring herself to be surprised if that was the case. The two of you were close enough to practically be sisters after all.

Fuku was still careful not to jar you as she brought you into the encounter. The superficial colors around the two of you faded as the vibrancy of your glowing Soul overtook them. You eyed it in interest, but not surprise, leading her to believe Chara had told you what to expect.

That kid was smart.

Your soul was larger than Chara's, if Fuku remembered correctly. That was probably because you were a fully-grown adult though. Unlike theirs, which put off a very steady light, yours seemed to cycle between super bright and comfortingly soft.

It was probably an indication of your hesitance with people warring with your need to be honest and heard.

You reached out so it floated above your outstretched palm. With a level of control Fuku never expected from a human, you retracted it, bringing the Soul with you to float in front of your face where you could inspect it more thoroughly.

Yet you waited. For what, Fuku wasn't sure until you moved to stand next to her.

So close.

So, so close.

You pulled her hand up to rest next to yours, as if she was holding it too, and sent her a smile. You both looked then.

Underneath all the blue light, Fuku could make out scars on the surface of your Soul. Knowing you had tried to commit suicide before, their presence didn't surprise her, though it was still Soul-wrenching knowing they would be there forever. You traced the lines with a finger, careful not to touch your Soul.

There were more than Fuku had expected, she was forced to admit as you moved to trace ones she hadn't even seen before. How many times…?

Your somber expression gained a childlike joy as you found what she'd been looking for all along. Underneath the surface, well hidden, was a network of vein-like red, almost making your Soul look purple in places, though the glow was unaffected.

That red was Chara. It was so much easier to spot in human Souls that had different colors than it was in monster ones.

Your bond ran as deeply as it could possibly go.


	27. Parenthood

"Ugh! It just won't behave." Fuku complained from the bathroom. A smirk tugged at your lips, interrupting a yawn, as you peeked in the door, waving away the worried teenager that poked their head out of their room. Fuku sat on the edge of the tub, glaring at the brush she'd slammed onto the counter.

You slipped behind her easily with the object, smoothing out the fiery strands you called her hair. "You look great in that dress. Simple and elegant?" You guessed, thinking of possible hairstyles.

"You don't have to do my hair, _." She argued out of principle, already leaning in to your gentle touch.

"Do you even know what a best friend is, Fuku?" You teased. "Of course I have to do your hair! It's bad enough that I didn't go shopping with you when you bought that dress."

She snickered as she leaned her head back, giving you easy access. You pulled her upper hair into a pony before separating what was left. You separated the remaining strands into thirds on each side, pinning them before repeating the process with the ponytail. You wrapped the first set around the existing pony, tying it off before moving on to do the same with the other two sets and again with the original pony.

You stepped back to admire your work. It looked almost like a braid, but different enough to seem like it had taken a lot more work. The hair ties, save for the last one, were hidden under her hair, so they couldn't detract from the image.

You reached into your own hair ties, despite a protest from your friend, and found the clip you were looking for. Quickly you replaced the simple tie ending your masterpiece with the new one, decorated with a smoky white crystal that matched the elegance of her dress.

Perfect.

"Check if you like it, but I'm pretty sure you're ready for your date." You ordered, giving her the hand mirror.

She did, turning the mirror so she could see the back of her head in the bigger mirror on the wall. The smaller one clattered to the counter as Fuku threw her arms around you in a hug. "I love it. Thanks a bunch, _."

"It's hard enough getting ready in the morning on a regular day. Adding date preparations into the mix…I dunno how you do it Fuku. Helping with your hair is the least I could do." You replied.

"Thanks again." She affirmed before moving to grab her bag and leave.

"WhO hAs A dAtE tHiS eArLy In ThE mOrNiNg?" Temmie demanded as the front door closed again behind her.

"Someone who works nights and doesn't have class today." You replied, allowing the yawn to cross your face again before heading to the kitchen. "Besides, I'm convinced all of you have silly notions of time. Alphys, Undyne, and Sans showed up at 6 A.M. on a Saturday for a housewarming party."

 _'I remember that. What's for breakfast?'_ Chara questioned as their bare feet padded against the tile of the kitchen, eyeing the water boiling on the stove warily.

"Poached eggs and toast." You informed them absently, concentrating on getting the water at just the right spin before cracking the first egg in. Some of the white still strung a little, despite your effort. At least it wasn't literally just a yolk anymore. At Temmie's disgusted noise, you added, "Well, _you_ can always cook if you don't like it."

Shocked silence met you. _'We're allowed to cook?'_ Chara finally asked.

"Of course. You're fourteen, right? I'm pretty sure I can trust you in the kitchen. Temmie…well I guess we'll see if he ever tries to cook. If you wreck the place, then no more cooking for you." You threatened the Temmie with your holey spoon, scooping out yet another imperfect poached egg.

"TeM cOuLd JuSt Do It WhEn YoU aReN't HoMe." He threatened back.

A knowing smile crossed your face before your expression turned mischievous. "I think you forget you're living with a mage now. I wonder how you would look in neon orange?" You didn't think it was possible to get any paler than white, but Temmie proved you wrong.

"TeMmIe DoEsN't HaVe FlEsH fOr YoU tO cOlOr." He finally argued, regaining himself.

"Oh, that's fine. An overlay would work swimmingly." You placed three plates at the table, each with two imperfect eggs and two slices of toast. "Milk? Juice? The blood of our ancestors?"

That last one, though a joke, caught Temmie's attention. "WhAt?"

"What?" You feigned innocence. "For a drink. What do you want?"

 _'Sit and eat. I can get it.'_ Chara ordered. So, you sat. Chara brought drinks to the table and you all ate.

You weren't used to being up so early. Your classes were later in the day and you worked at night, so without interference you were rarely up before nine. You supposed you would have to get used to it. There was a school-age child in the house now.

A quick glance at the clock kicked you into gear.

"Dinner's in the fridge when you get home, just nuke it for a minute." You stated absently, shoving an errant textbook in your bag. Might as well be ready to go yourself.

 _'So, who's my babysitter?'_ Chara inquired.

You looked up at your charge, confused. "Fuku will be back around eight, but you're old enough to be home alone until then, aren't you? Are you going to trash the place?"

Chara stared at you for a moment, astounded, before shaking their head. _'I won't.'_

"That settles it then. Come on; I'll walk you to school today so we can get a feel for the route. Sorry I can't drive you like you're used to." You swung your bag onto your back, doing a quick checklist in your head before leaving out the front door, Chara right behind you with their own bookbag.

The walk there was longer than you would have liked. It was a solid thirty minutes before you arrived at the front gates. Chara gripped your hand again as you both approached. Your earliness would be useful today, since you had to talk to the school administration.

They needed to update the records on Chara's address and guardianship change after all.

* * *

You sighed despondently when you walked back in early the next morning after your shift. Several broken objects were gathered on the dining table, and it didn't take long to figure out what had happened. "Temmie. I know you're about."

The creature poked his head out of the hallway to look at you. "WhAt Do YoU wAnT, hUmAn?"

"I'm sorry. We shouldn't just leave you at home with nothing to do." You apologized, walking over to the table and inspecting the different pieces of object scattered there.

The small monster looked honestly surprised. You supposed Fuku and Chara had probably already given him lectures. He quickly covered up his shock with his usual unfriendliness, as a creepy smile crossed his face. "I mAnAgEd To KeEp MySeLf EnTeRtAiNeD."

You reached into your bag and pulled out a piece of chalk and began the sequence to fix everything. "Would you like me to get you something to do, or shall I just lock up all the breakables then?"

"YoU aReN't GoInG tO tRy To LoCk Me Up ThEn?" He demanded, trotting over and jumping on one of the chairs to inspect what you were doing.

"I might put you in a corner for time out if you keep misbehaving, but no. I won't ever lock you up. I highly doubt Asgore ever did so, so why the concern?" You questioned back.

"AsGoRe Is…A mOnStEr. YoU'rE hUmAn."

You didn't respond. Of course, it was that. Why had you even asked. It was either because you were human or because you were a mage. _Everything_ was either because you were human or because you were a mage.

You activated your sequence, hoping to burn away some of the rising frustration with pure exhaustion. It didn't work. Well, the dishes, vase, and knick-knacks were fixed at least, even if your stomach was turning uncomfortably.

"PuZzLeS aNd BoOkS." Temmie stated before wandering back to Chara's room.

Yeah. You weren't getting to sleep any time soon. Instead you put away all the previously broken items and grabbed a notebook and several post-it notes. Might as well use the time productively.

* * *

Papyrus woke to a text on his phone. Several, actually, because Chara wouldn't call and knew he needed multiple reasons to wake up this early, rather than just one. The kid was asking for a shortcut to school.

He guesses that was time-sensitive enough to warrant getting out of bed. Wasn't taking the kid to school _your_ job though? After sending a quick text back, Papyrus took a shortcut to your living room.

Chara wasn't there just yet. They probably hadn't expected him to get here so quickly. He glanced around, easily finding you at the table. You were snoring lightly, head resting on the table completely surrounded by papers and sticky notes.

Really? You were shirking your guardian duties to _sleep_? Incredulous, he wandered over to check one of the slips. ' _No Movie Theaters! Sans dislikes dark, enclosed spaces.'_ Huh? How did you know that? He was certain you'd never asked.

Another stated: ' _Genres Sans Likes: 1. Action 2. Cooking 3. Romance 4. Comedy'_ Most of the slips were filled with similar notes and date ideas. He flipped open the notebook to the first page. On the list were several ' _Establishments to Avoid_ _'_. He recognized quite a few of them as harboring anti-monster sentiments.

You were really trying pretty hard. Papyrus wasn't sure where you had even learned all these things. Was it just from paying attention to Sans?

You had a pretty good idea of what he would like though. Papyrus couldn't help but to approve of that. You _cared_. Nobody would put in this kind of effort to lead someone on.

Right by your head was a different note, written in bold letters. _'Chara, if I fall asleep doing this, just go ahead and wake me up. I'll make breakfast and walk you to school.'_ So, you weren't shirking on purpose.

With a lazy sigh, he turned to wait on your couch. He supposed he could cut you some slack.


	28. What a Knife Challenge

It had been a week. It was probably time to answer your siblings' phone calls at least. Still, you held the device in your shaking hand without making any effort to press the answer button. Would they be mad?

Instead, you opened up the messenger app and sent a quick _'Sorry'_ text. You let out a screeching noise as you dropped you head into your arms, ashamed with yourself.

You phone pinged. _'Oh good. You answered.'_ Eve told you. _'I was getting worried. Are you okay?'_

It helped you work up the courage to hit the call button. "_." Eve answered immediately. "Hey. You're okay?"

"Okay enough. Just a scaredy cat." You admitted. "Sorry I didn't answer before. I just…" You tightened your grip on the phone, not knowing how to finish that sentence. You what? Were you afraid? Of what? People who cared about you?

"I get it. I've been screening calls too. Damien and I haven't figured out how to handle it quite yet. We haven't found an option that ends well with our parents." She sighed. "I'm worried. I mean, I had planned to tell them anyway, but…"

"I kinda screwed it up." You supplied.

"No, you didn't. You did what you needed to do. I was already watching before you got there. Liam too. If there was any danger of Chara being removed from the city, you would have had no choice anyways."

"How is Liam taking the, uhh…what do we even call this situation?" You cut yourself off, inquiring.

"As I said before, finding a positive outcome is proving quite difficult. It was hard when we were planning to do it over dinner. We almost found one or two approaches that could work too. Now, though… Well, our parents seem to be unhappy with our keeping such secrets from them and then announcing it on national television."

"That hadn't been my intention." You argued half-heartedly.

"I know. I have to hand it to you, you've really learned how to handle people over the years. Those lawyers didn't know what to do with you at all."

"It was supposed to be practice for Mother and Father. At least, that's what I told myself when I was learning it. To be honest, it's been more useful in legal matters than anything else."

"We'll see what we can figure out _. You aren't doing this alone. Never again." Eve promised you forcefully.

You chuckled a little. "I'll keep it in mind. Talk to you later, Eve." You set the phone down on the table in front of you.

* * *

"WE ARE HAVING A DATE AT YOUR HOUSE?" Sans questioned as you opened the door for him.

"You'll see." You teased. The television had been moved into the dining room for this, easily visible from the kitchen. You moved in, leading your boyfriend into the kitchen where you found a few videos waiting for you, labelled in order.

"WHAT IS THIS? ARE WE COOKING?" Sans deduced.

"Better than that, we're doing a cooking challenge." You had his interest immediately. You set a hand on the videos on the counter. "Fuku has already gone through these and found if we have everything we'd need to make them. These are made to be paused several times as you cook, but we aren't doing that."

"WE AREN'T COOKING, OR WE AREN'T PAUSING?" He inquired.

"Pausing." You clarified with a growing smile. "The two of us will have to work fast, and cooperatively, to keep up. Hopefully at the end, we'll even get a great meal out of it. By the way, I have no idea what we're cooking."

"THIS SOUNDS BOTH EXTREMELY FUN AND CHALLENGING. IT DOESN'T SEEM VERY DATE-LIKE THOUGH..." Sans trailed off.

"It's a date. It may be a little unconventional as one, but if we're doing an activity as a couple with the express reason of spending time with each other, it's a date. We don't have to go out somewhere to have one." You reassured him. "It's fine. Don't worry about the technicalities. As long as we have fun, what does it matter?"

His expression cleared, casting away the hesitance. "YOU'RE RIGHT. I SUPPOSE I SHOULD JUST ENJOY THE NIGHT. SO, HOW DO WE START THIS?"

"Well, first I suppose we should familiarize you with my kitchen. We're going to have to scramble, so it's best if we know where everything is." You answered, tugging the fridge door open. "Produce is in the drawers at the bottom, veggies on the left. Butter is up here…"

Despite its size, it only took a few minutes for you to point everything out in the kitchen. The both of you took a deep breath in preparation before you started the first video.

Croquettes. Crap. You dashed to the fridge and pulled out some potatoes to peel as quickly as you could as you started water boiling on the stove. Fuku really cranked up the difficulty, you supposed. How were you supposed to mash these quickly at all?

Thankfully she was still in the introductory speech as you dropped the potatoes into the boiling water. Sans, in the meantime, had gathered the chicken and vegetables he could see on the screen during her dialogue. You dipped into the pantry for the vegetable oil.

Where were the bread crumbs? You didn't have time to question it as the woman in the video began talking about how to properly get the potatoes set up. You grabbed the seasoned croutons and dumped some in a Ziploc bag before pounding them into powder.

Sans startled a bit at the sudden noise, looking at you distractedly as his knife sliced through an onion. "Couldn't find bread crumbs." You told him hurriedly as you pounded on the bag again for good measure and emptied it into a mixing bowl.

He laughed as he went back to slicing vegetables.

Oh Gods. Did she say two tablespoons of milk or three? "I THINK IT WAS TWO." Sans informed you with a chuckle.

Your lips stretched into a dumb smile as you mashed the potatoes as quickly as you could before throwing them in a new mixing bowl with the milk. Sans took over the stove to cook the chicken and veggies he'd cut up before as you mixed the croquette coating as well as you could.

You ducked back into the fridge for the eggs as she mentioned them only to find that they weren't there. Glancing around quickly, you noticed them already sitting on the counter. You stared blankly at the two eggs you'd grabbed as she said to beat them.

What? What was beating an egg? Like, scrambling? You cracked them into a coffee cup and grabbed a fork, breaking the yolks and mixing the eggs as well as you could. You dumped them in with the potatoes before grabbing a third one to repeat the process.

Sans had finished cooking the filling and moved to put them in the blender just as you moved to grab a small bowl. You collided, both dropping what you were carrying. Without thinking, you reached out to grab the nearest falling object, which happened to be a hot pan off of the stove as Sans phalanges closed around the cup of beaten egg you'd been holding.

It was surrounded in a blue light before it met your skin, a fact you were suddenly very grateful for as the heat made itself known from less than an inch away. "Sorry." You told him as his magic lifted the dangerous object away from you and set it on the counter. He took a few seconds to inspect your hands, making sure he'd caught it in time. Nodding at the fact he found no burns, he smiled at you and the scramble resumed as the video woman popped her first set of croquettes in the oven.

You filled the bottom of the baking pan with a half inch of vegetable oil as the blender whirred. Sans moved to add the filling to the potato mash as you set up the egg and bread crumbs for dipping. He formed the mash into balls and handed it to you to dip in the egg and crumbs before placing the croquettes in the pan.

Unlike video lady, all of yours fit into your pan, so you set the timer for twelve minutes and popped them in before leaning back against the fridge with a sigh. Sans moved forward to pull some eggy crumbs out of your hair. Likewise, you moved to wipe some of the mash off of his skull.

You both burst out laughing.

* * *

You were not the best cook, Sans noted. It was easy enough for him to pay attention to you as he diced, thoroughly enjoying watching you dash around. At first, he'd been uneasy about the idea. Most ideas for dates that he had found in his research cost money, so the idea of a night in cooking didn't quite match up with the idea of human dating that he'd gotten.

He was glad he'd agreed. This was all sorts of fun.

Sans vaguely wondered if you were aware that you poured magic into your cooking. You didn't seem to be overly aware of it, certainly not freaking out over the task like you were everything else. At this rate, despite the fact the food wasn't inherently magical to begin with, he would probably be able to eat it easily.

Then again, it could easily be second nature to you. You _did_ live with Fuku after all, and she would need magical food just as much as he did.

He'd forgotten to pay attention to you in his musing, which almost proved disastrous as you both dropped what you were working on as you collided. Trained reflexes easily allowed him to catch the nearest object: your cup full of egg. Who beat eggs in a coffee cup? You apparently.

He had grabbed the wrong thing. There were no thoughts that rushed through his head as your soft hands reached out to catch the only still-falling object. His magic had flared to life without his even having to think about it to catch the hot pan before it touched your skin.

You seemed to belatedly realize why catching it would be a bad idea, and Sans found his mind suddenly full. He set the pan on the counter, lifting your hands for inspection just to be sure. Humans could be amazingly fragile for how strong they were. While the heat couldn't bother him, it could have seriously hurt _you_.

It was terrifying, how fragile you were. Was this how you felt, remembering him in that alleyway? Suddenly, he understood why you had been so protective for so long.

But you were fine, so he released you, allowing your rush to continue. His attention didn't waver from you again.


	29. Bigotry

"Just relax. If it works, you won't even know anything happened. If it doesn't, well…nothing _will_ have happened." You assured.

Chara looked bored at this point. You couldn't blame them. There was literally nothing else you could say to assure him, and you'd been repeating the same sentiment for nearly thirty minutes with different wording. Sadly, Temmie tended to get out of the house whenever you and Chara practiced, so they didn't even have him to talk to while they waited. Still, he _had_ volunteered to help you and Chara with practice, so…

"you keep telling me that, but i don't have the best memories of time magic." Papyrus protested.

 _Why did you volunteer for this then?_ You only just stopped yourself from yelling it at him, but he flinched anyway. Right. Projecting. _Sorry._

He started. "you know about that?" He questioned, shooting a quick glance at your pupil. Chara nodded.

"Not that it really changes anything." You shook your head. "So, can we do this or no? I can always go ask Alphys or Undyne."

Papyrus paused for a few seconds before nodding. "yeah. we can do this."

"Good. Just so you know, it might take a few tries before it works." You warned him as Chara stood from their chair, muttering a magical _'Finally,'_ to you.

"you say that like you're absolutely sure it's g-." Papyrus suddenly stopped talking. Even the waving motion he was making with his hand stopped.

Huh. Look at that. You turned to view your student, who was wearing a mischievous grin. "First try's the charm?" You asked incredulously. "Somehow I doubt that."

 _'I might have practiced a bit while he was complaining.'_ They admitted sheepishly. _'It's different than objects. It's almost like locking him in time instead of…it_ is _a lock.'_ Chara interrupted themself. _'It's a lock _! If I get this, I might be that much closer to erasing my temporal lock! Lemme try!'_

You smiled. It was much faster progress than you had initially expected. "So, with living beings it's like locking? Does that mean you can't rewind, slow, or fast-forward living beings?" You did a quick lap around Papyrus for inspection, but he was totally stopped.

 _'I'm pretty sure I can't. I think it's because he's fighting me.'_ You nodded, contemplating.

"-oing to work." Papyrus finished as Chara released him. He paused to view the two of you, knowing that you had moved from his perception of just an instant ago.

"It's probably a natural defense mechanism. After all, if you used anything but a time stop on anything with organs, it could prove harmful." You explained, ignoring Papyrus's growing indignation. "And since everything living has _some_ magic, it'll always fight you."

 _'Could it be harmful to people then?'_

"I don't think a _stop_ would be. After all, nothing is happening during one of your time stops. No blood flow, no heartbeat, no air intake, no energy consumption. And all bodily functions would resume as soon as time was restored, so in theory, no. There would be no negative effects."

"are we not going to address the fact the kid just froze me in the middle of a sentence?" Papyrus demanded, interrupting.

You shot him a surprised look. "But I already _did_ address it. I don't know why you're upset, since…" Something in the room shifted, but you weren't sure entirely what it was. Nothing had moved, and the energy fluctuations were the same. You glanced around before finishing your sentence. "it's exactly what you volunteered for."

He opened his jaw to speak, but apparently thought better of whatever it was he had planned to say. You thought it would be something along the lines of " _volunteering is one thing, but being flat out rude is another."_ Something odd tingled at the edge of your senses as Papyrus turned to regard Chara. Almost like…

"Have we had this conversation before?" You asked, somewhat dumbfounded. You were certain you hadn't, but... Both Chara and Papyrus turned to you with flummoxed expressions.

Still confused, and not sure why you were doing it, you pulled out your phone from you pocket. Just in time, apparently, since you caught it right before it buzzed. Chara moved to sign something to Papyrus as you flipped the device open. Before you could pull up the text, a knock sounded at the door.

You moved the few feet required to open it, but found yourself hesitating, hand hovering over the doorknob. Flashes of something ran through your thoughts, but you couldn't focus enough to pin down what any of them were.

What?

What was going on?

The knock came again, more insistent this time. You still couldn't bring yourself to open the door though. Instead you just stood there, staring at your unmoving hand awkwardly, confused. Chara's fingers brushed yours as they grabbed the open phone from your other hand, opening the message displayed on the screen.

You found yourself almost expecting the violet light it was suddenly enshrouded by. Why were Damien, Eve, and Liam coming?

You paused in your thoughts again. Why did you think it was all three of them? Eve rarely transported anyone but herself this way. It ran several risks.

Your gaze found Chara's, who happened to be watching you closely. "What?" You managed to squeak out, still unsure of what was happening.

"i was just as confused the first time the kid turned time back." Papyrus informed you carefully. "nobody else was though, which only made it worse. don't worry. it'll pass."

Turned time back? Yeah, Chara had just said they were going to try erasing their first lock again, but…even if time moved, you shouldn't have been aware of it. _You_ didn't have time magic. And according to Papyrus, it had happened before several times before the monsters had emerged and you had never noticed then.

You weren't quite sure what the expression on your face was when Eve's magic began to form into three different people in the center of the room. You had guessed right. Or had you already known it? Papyrus wasn't lying, so apparently this had already happened. Were you remembering it? Why?

"Thank goodness. I thought you weren't going to answer for a minute there, _" Eve's voice filled the room. No flashes this time. Did that mean this didn't happen the first time around?

"Sorry." You managed to say without your voice wavering. "There was a knock at the door." As if your words had summoned it, the knock came again, even more annoyed than before.

"We know." Damien stated, moving to open it for you. Knowingly, and gently, he moved your hand out of the way as it was still hovering there.

Did he know, or did he _know_? You never thought you would be asking yourself that question pertaining to Damien. After all, practically since you were born, he'd always known _everything_.

"Damien? What are you doing here?" Your mother's voice caught your attention. There was a pause before she continued, voice much darker, "What's that on your neck?"

His mage-mark. A quick look at Eve told you that hers was exposed as well. You were barefoot in shorts, so it went without saying that yours would be visible. Eve's fiancé was dressed in a similarly revealing fashion, the green twin moons easily visible on his shoulder since he was wearing a tank top.

Involuntarily you reached forward to tug Damien back as images of your mother slapping you flashed through your mind. Just in time too, as she had raised her hand to do just that. The wards around the house flared to life as you tugged Damien behind them.

Your mother and father gazed at the bubble with grim acceptance. Papyrus whispered something to the teenager before disappearing.

Liam rested a hand on your arm. A sense of overwhelming calm washed through you, wiping away the leftover confusion. You sent him a grateful look as you released the back of Damien's shirt and turned to look outside.

What an odd standoff this had turned into, with all of the mages in the family staring out of a door at your non-magical parents. "Drop the wards for now, _." Eve ordered. "Let's talk."

"What? You're some sort of barrier-mage, _?" You mother demanded as you reached up to brush your fingers against the sequencing crystal. You paused to meet her furious gaze.

"No. I'm not." You answered as the wards fell back into dormancy. "And I certainly don't think our specialties are the right place to start this conversation."

There was silence as your parents entered. Immediately, their gazes turned to Chara in disgust. You felt your magic flare in your fury as you stepped to put yourself in front of your charge. "Kitchen table?" Liam suggested, dampening the growing negativity in the room with his own magic. It wasn't nearly as strong as if he'd had physical contact, but his magic worked much like your own in that way.

 _'It's okay.'_ Chara assured you, resting their hand on your arm as everyone began to move. _'I knew it was coming.'_

 _'That doesn't make it any less wrong._ ' You argued immediately.

 _'People without magic fear us. That isn't going to change.'_

 _'They think we cheat.'_ You responded. _'That somehow, life is easier for us just because we're born with an ability that not everyone has._ ' Your fingers curled into fists before releasing again to get rid of some of your tension as you moved to the table with everyone else.

As soon as you remembered they were there, you scooped up the many papers lying on the surface. "What's all that, _?"

You flinched at your father's voice. Old habits die hard, you supposed. "Lesson plans." You replied simply. He wouldn't understand them anyway.

"It's all true then? You having magic? Stealing away good peoples' child to teach them the devil's arts? Living with yourself as a heretic for all these years?" He accused.

"What a way to put it." You stated monotonously. You knew they could bend anything to make it seem good or bad to fit their own beliefs. Seeing them do it to other people was different than having them use it on _you_ though.

It hurt.

Even though you knew better. Even though you knew it was coming. Even as much as you told yourself that it didn't matter. That their opinions wouldn't change just because their children were mages.

It hurt.

"Don't, Father." Damien cut in. It was rare for him to do so, and the shock showed on your parents' faces. "Even by your own admission, mages being with other mages is best for everyone all around. Or did you forget you told us that?"

"If you aren't here to hear us out, then why did you come?" Eve added.

"It's all of you then?" Your mother demanded. "Every single one of our children are God-cursed _mages?_ How in the world did we never know? How did you manage to hide it for so long?"

"You _did_ know." You answered quietly. "How could you not? We were born with the marks, just like everyone else. And as far as hiding it from you, it was as easy as covering our marks up."

 _"_ There's no way we wouldn't have noticed." She argued. Damien never wore high-collared shirts when he was younger. I distinctly remember there being no mark there."

"There always was. Your disapproval caused the academy to step in and-." You tried to explain as neutrally as possible, but you got cut off.

 _"Liar._ " Your mother hissed. Your ears roared, drowning out whatever she said next.

Liar?

You?

A _liar?_

Who did this woman think she was? You could feel the blood rushing to your cheeks, flushing them in fury as your eyes burned. Your face felt like it was on fire as you forced your chair back so you could stand. It squealed its protest against the linoleum flooring as you moved. "What the hell would you know about the truth?" You demanded loudly, overpowering her speech.

"_!" Both Damien and Eve called your name simultaneously. Liam reached out, hands glowing in hopes of calming you down.

Were you anyone else, and not so royally insulted, it would have worked. As it was, your magic, already flaring in response to your emotional state, rose up to block the effects of his holy magic. Liam wasn't a pushover, but he had nowhere near your raw magical potential.

Nothing could stop the outpouring from your mouth at this point. "You were such bad parents while we were young that the academy got permission to come in and wipe your memory and house us full time! Of course you remember us having no marks. You got granted the sweet bliss of ignorance for most of our lives!"

"Yelling isn't going to help-." Damien tried to argue with you, clearly seeing that Liam couldn't keep you calm.

You lowered your volume. Everyone in the room shivered at the dangerous tone in your voice when you spoke again. "Don't you _dare_ come here tossing insults at me like I _owe_ you something. You don't even _know_ me." You paused for half a second, voice getting even colder, "And don't you _ever_ call me a liar. I haven't _ever_ lied to anyone, and I certainly wouldn't waste it on _you_."

"That is no way to talk to your mother!" you father protested. He flinched as you shifted your gaze on to him. "We just came for the truth."

"Oh really? Are you sure you can even handle that?" You demanded. "Alright. Truth is, we got raised in the academy and turned out to be wonderful mages. All while you sat at home, not quite sure who your kids even _were_. Do you even remember the names you gave us? Because we don't! You never used them, after all."

Silence reigned at the table, their lack of a response allowing you time to calm down. The exact moment where you became calm enough for Liam's magic to finally take hold, you collapsed back into your chair.

You had a serious temper problem.

You mother finally spoke up in a choked voice. "Your birth certificates…"

"Falsified." Eve spoke up. "Mages' paperwork is different from non-mages after all. We never needed your version of birth certificates. The academy used the names we chose on them."

Eve, Damien, and Liam took over the conversation then. You listened quietly and inserted information when it was needed from you. Nothing more.

* * *

Chara wasn't sure what to do. This time seemed to be going much better than the first, despite your outburst, so they wouldn't load again unless something went horribly wrong.

They never knew you could be so terrifying.

Your immediate defense of them made them feel rather warm though. They'd rarely been anyone's first priority, and having you view them as so important was like having a family.

Nothing like the chills Chara was getting as your eyes glowed with magic in your fury. Even so, it was comforting, as they could feel the protectiveness in it. Protectiveness of your brother and sister. Protectiveness of your way of life. Protectiveness of _Chara_.

Like you didn't have your own problems to deal with. Why were you worrying about _them_ right now?

It wasn't until late, well after everyone had left and you had retreated to your room, that they heard you. It was a muffled sound, and Chara wasn't sure whether to just ignore it or not until they felt for you through their bond.

It was nothing like how you felt after Sans. Then, you had been sad and hurt, but it was nothing compared to now. Chara couldn't get up the stairs fast enough, pausing at the top when they saw you in bed sobbing into a pillow.

Chara waved Temmie away, who'd followed them in their mad dash before moving to hug you. You _needed_ the comfort, and they were more than happy to provide it.

There was no way Chara was losing you again.


	30. The Concept of a Soul

You hated being cold. The chill that settled in all the way to your bones was numbing in a way you weren't comfortable with anymore, even disregarding the actual sensations cold brought along with it, like shivering and goosebumps.

That wasn't to say that you disliked _winter_. Even if you didn't like the temperature as much as you used to, there were several things about the season that made it one of the most beautiful times of year.

Which went at least part of the way to explaining why you were presently sitting outside in the snow instead of in your house where it was nice and warm. The rest of that reason was easily filled in as you viewed the many snowmen littering your yard.

Why was it a competition?

Nonetheless, you weren't complaining. Everyone was having fun with it, after all. "_! THE SNOW IS RUNNING OUT AGAIN!" Sans called from his position across the yard from you.

You peeked out from sculpting the bottom ball of your snowman to survey the yard. It made sense, since eight people were all using the same snow, but you'd already replenished it twice!

With a sigh, you stood. Heading over to the water hose, you turned it on at the same time you activated the sequence on the end of it. Fluffy white snow sprayed out from it as you angled it to cover the yard. It had taken several tries to get it right, and some internet research as to how snow worked. The first time you'd tried, you'd shot icicles at the ground instead of snow.

Temmie had laughed harder than you thought he was able.

"Hey guys." You kinked the line to stop the flow of water, startled, as Fuku's voice reached your ears. Snow was still water, after all, and you weren't really willing to be spraying it around with either fire elemental in the area. "Do you guys want marshmallows in your hot cocoa, or are you fine without? _ used the last of them on the candied yams the other night, so we'd have to go get some."

There was a collective groan as a blush crossed your already pink cheeks.

Chara shot a quick sign to Fuku, one you managed to translate as meaning they would ask Asgore to bring some, since he was running late anyways.

Satisfied, Fuku headed back inside. You unkinked the hose in your hand to continue the spread of snow as Undyne walked over to you.

Which was a bit of a mistake on her part, as the pressure in the hose caused an explosion of the wet substance in front of you, covering her in it. You couldn't hold back the bark of laughter at the sight. Alphys retaliated on her fiancé's behalf, quickly scooping up some snow and lobbing it at your face.

Did they realize how silly it was to start a snow fight with the person with a literal unlimited supply? Apparently not, as it seemed to dawn on the guard captain as you kinked the line again as you turned to her. A quick adjustment to your sequence later and she was engulfed in a spray of snow.

Everyone had to get involved then. You shut the hose off, for the sake of fairness, and rejoined the fray by making actual snowballs like everyone else.

Twenty minutes later, Muffet was declared the undisputed winner, which you grudgingly pointed out might have something to do with the extra limbs giving her an unfair advantage. A few seconds after that, Toriel poked her head out of the door, shouting "Time!"

That's right. You had set a time limit to the snowman competition. Oh well. You had all lost the same amount of time. "Kay guys. Stand by your snowman and wait for the royal ruling!" You ordered with a chuckle. Everyone scrambled from their defensive positions back to their respective sculptures.

Alphys was first up for inspection. Her snowman was about what you would expect from her. She'd tried packing the snow into icy armor for her masterpiece, even having it hold an ice-axe. It probably would have looked much cooler if she'd bothered to give the snowman a face.

Sans was up next, boasting a rather muscular snowman. You weren't sure how he'd made it without either turning it into an ice-man or breaking the laws of physics. Maybe he had. He hadn't even used rocks or anything, giving his snowman features with the precision of a professional artist.

Toriel walked right past Papyrus, who was laying on a lump of snow he'd apparently given up on making into a snowman, to inspect your artwork. It was pretty normal, as snowmen went, with a scarf and carrot nose and stick arms.

With a small smile, she moved on to Temmie. Somehow, despite the lack of arms, he had made a wolf out of the snow, snarling at…your dormant rose bush. It looked amazingly realistic, even boasting all sorts of tiny lines to give the impression of fur. "You might be disqualified, Temmie." She noted.

"wHaT? wHy?" He demanded. To be honest, you were curious as well.

"The objective of the competition was to create a snow _man_. Not a snow animal. It would certainly be a good entry if this were a snow _sculpture_ competition." Temmie stuttered, upset, before muttering something to himself and turning away from the queen.

"I think it's a great sculpture Temmie." You offered, trying to cheer him up. He just sent you a glare and trotted inside. A nagging feeling tugged at your conscience, but you tried to ignore it. Chara stared after him worriedly, even as Toriel moved to judge their snowman. Chara had made a snow-child. If you didn't know better, you'd almost think they'd made it of themself.

Toriel covered her mouth with a paw as she stared at it. It took her a moment to recover herself and move on to the next one as Chara gazed at her almost guiltily. Now what?

Undyne's was also about what you would expect, considering. She had quite the artistic talent, as her masterpiece was a fully sized anime catgirl. Again, you had to wonder how at least the tail was holding up without either being packed into ice or breaking the laws of physics. Was it a monster thing?

Still giving no indication of any feelings toward the work, Toriel moved on to the final contestant: Muffet. You had a feeling she hadn't made her entry for the competition, per se, as it was the spitting image of Fuku. You remembered when she'd worn that dress; you'd done her hair for it, after all.

It was bugging you. Knowing that you weren't going to win anyway, you abandoned the yard competition to head inside. Fuku turned to view you, but gave up on saying anything when she saw your expression.

You went straight to the linen closet and opened it. Ignoring the glaring monster inside, you squatted down so you would fit under the bottom shelf with him and closed the door behind you.

"WhY aRe YoU hErE? i DoN't NeEd YoUr PiTy." He complained.

"I don't pity you. You're a much better artist than me; how could I pity you?" You replied. "Just because Toriel deemed it unfit for the competition didn't mean she didn't think it was _good_."

"YoU dOn'T nEeD tO tRy To MaKe Me FeEl BeTtEr. I dOn'T hAvE fEeLiNgS tO hUrT aNyWaYs." He grumbled.

You couldn't hold back a chuckle. "You sound just like I did in high school." You informed him. "That defensiveness is pretty transparent you know."

He paused for a moment. "I tHoUgHt YoU wEnT tO tHe AcAdEmY?" He finally pointed out.

"Changing the subject won't save you. And yes, I _did_ go to the academy. The academy is basically a boarding, k through twelve school. We still have all the regular classes, just an additional three or four devoted to magic studies."

"ThErE's NoThInG tO sAvE mE fRoM. i ReAlLy DoN't HaVe AnY fEeLiNgS." He argued again. "i DoN't HaVe A sOuL aFtEr AlL."

You paused for a moment at this admission. What?

 _What?_

"You really believe that?" You inquired finally. Temmie's eyes were glowing as he turned them to you at last. "That makes literally no sense; you realize that right?"

"I rEaLlY dOn'T fEeL lIkE sHaRiNg If YoU dOn'T bElIeVe Me." He grumped.

"I believe that _you_ believe it." You corrected him immediately. "I just don't believe _it."_ You hesitated as you put your thoughts into words. "I mean, I'm new to the whole 'understanding Souls' thing, but I've got a few of the basics by this point."

"WhErE aRe YoU gOiNg WiTh ThIs?" Temmie demanded. You held up a finger for his patience.

"Argument one: living things all have Souls." You told him. "If you didn't have one, you would just be a puppet, to my understanding, and I for one have never seen anyone controlling you."

"YoU dOn'T kNoW tHaT." He said quietly.

"I suppose I don't, which is why I'm still arguing with you." You told him with a smile. "Argument two: memories are housed in the Soul." You pointed out. "You clearly have the ability to remember things, even from quite a while ago, so…"

"YoU hUmAnS hAvE a PhYsIcAl WaY tO kEeP yOuR mEmOrIeS. hOw Do YoU kNoW i DoN't" He debated.

You paused to stare at him. Was he really questioning this? "Because you're a monster. You aren't physical, and you certainly don't have nerves that send electrical signals all over your body." You waited for his argument to this, but none came. "Argument three: Feelings come from the Soul."

"I dOn'T hAvE fEeLiNgS." He said half-heartedly.

"You do. You get upset at things. You get frustrated. There are things that you enjoy. You love Chara. You get amused by things. Even how bored you tend to get. All of those are emotions, my small friend."

He shook his head, as if fending off your words mentally. "I'm JuSt A dOlL tHaT uSeD tO bElOnG tO…" He trailed off. "It DoEsN't MaTtEr. I gOt InJeCtEd WiTh YoU hUmAnS' dEtErMiNaTiOn. ThAt'S wHy I eXiSt. I nEvEr HaD a SoUl To BeGiN wItH."

"Are you sure you didn't grow your own then?" You inquired. His head whipped around to stare at you again. You opened your mouth to add more, but a knock came at the door and it inched open to reveal Chara.

 _'Hot cocoa is ready. Are you guys coming?'_ They asked, signing for the monster. Temmie dashed out of the closet past the teen, leaving you to try to get out without banging your head on the low shelf fifty times. Chara helped you out with a chuckle, gripping your arms and tugging you clear of the obstacle.

* * *

You had a lot of nerve, making Temmie question the only thing he'd been sure about his existence from the very beginning. A Soulless object can't just _gain_ one unless it steals it from something else. That _had_ to be true.

Otherwise he was an even more despicable being than he'd initially thought.

But you weren't wrong. While he was, in essence, a special case, it was true that the things you mentioned were fully dependent on the existence of a Soul. So, was he the exception, or was he a part of that rule?

Did he dare try to confirm it either way?

He could tell from the way you shot glances at him over hot cocoa that you still wanted to talk about it, but you seemed to respect the fact the conversation was over. Watching you be all sappy with Chara and Sans really got on his nerves.

Which made him pause.

For the love of hell. You were _right_. He _did_ have emotions.

But there was no way he was ever admitting it to you.


	31. But You Refused

_'Your parents sent back the wedding invitations.'_ You stared at the text from your future-brother-in-law for much longer than necessary. It didn't contain a lot of information, so it wasn't like it took you long to process. Still, you found yourself unable to look away from the small object as a growing feeling rose up in your throat, almost choking you.

Grillby said your name, getting your attention. "Is everything okay?" He asked, flipping the sign on the door to closed.

You wanted to say yes. You wanted to tell him that everything was fine. You didn't want him to worry about you any more than you'd already made him lately. Still, you couldn't stop it when your lips formed the "No" that passed them. Anything else would be a lie.

You didn't fight when he lifted the cell from your grip to inspect it for himself. The next thing you knew, he had wrapped you up in a warm hug.

You allowed yourself to bury your face in his perfect shirt, comfort spreading through you. Why couldn't somebody like Grillby be your dad? He was such a good one, knowing when you needed comfort and when you needed to be alone. He provided life advice when you needed it, and let you learn your own lessons like you needed too. He knew what you were like and what you liked. He fussed after your health like you imagined a _real_ dad might.

He cared.

You held back the tears that were threatening to gather in your eyes as his grip tightened. Tears were still water, and if there was anyone you weren't willing to cry into it was Fuku. But Grillby was a close second, since you ran the risk of actually _hurting_ them.

Why were you such a crybaby lately?

Both of you startled as a frantic knock came at the door. You moved to open it, pulling away from Grillby, who was preparing just in case it was unfriendly.

You weren't prepared for the sight as you opened the door. A highly distraught Alphys stood there, holding an unconscious Undyne close to her body. "Some jerkwad hit her with a car on our way here!" She explained as you caught the sight of dust coming off of her.

Undyne accompanying Alphys to walk you home wasn't unusual, but nothing had ever happened before. You didn't have time to think about that though. You had no idea where it had happened, or how far Alphys had to carry her rapidly dusting partner.

Your hands were already glowing as you reached for her to tug them inside. The door swung shut with a thud behind them, but you weren't paying attention to that anymore as Alphys walked farther into the room to set Undyne down. You followed without even realizing you'd moved, focused as you were on the task at hand.

Her Soul. You needed to start there. If you could stabilize that, then the rest of her body would be easier to heal.

So, you reached for it with your magic. It looked a lot like your own, except for the lack of color. The surface was covered in thin scars just like yours was. Unlike yours, cracks were rapidly appearing across its surface.

It was breaking.

You jammed your magic into the cracks, gluing the pieces together with sheer willpower. The Soul shuddered as you gripped it with your power, forcing it back together. It resisted, trying to pull itself back apart, but you refused. Pouring more energy into your task, you forced the pieces to start moving back together.

Slowly, so slowly, the pieces magnetized back toward each other, closing in until your magic was forced out as it reformed. The crack disappeared completely and relief washed through you. Not that Undyne was off the hook yet, but now you had a chance.

There was a lot of damage. If someone had hit her with a car, they had done it straight on, not just clipped or accidentally. As if they had meant to hit her.

You maintained your magic, reaching out now from her Soul to begin repairing the damage closest to it. Working from a single point outward would be the best way to do it, so that's what you did. Her Soul took your own magic and converted it into Undyne's, using it to remake the body it knew was supposed to surround it with your help.

Healing monsters was so different from humans, while at the same time it was eerily similar. Your magic wasn't flesh-based, so you were used to your magic recreating from the blueprints contained in the organisms' cells. Thanks to that, unlike flesh-based healers you didn't need a working knowledge of anatomy. Also thanks to that, unlike flesh-based healers, you could heal things without flesh, like monsters and plants.

But your magic was entirely based on the body of your patient, not your own medical knowledge. If the body didn't think anything was wrong, you couldn't fix it. You couldn't cure cancer, or autoimmune diseases, or get rid of horrid scars the way that flesh-based healers could.

There were several times in your life that you had cursed that difference.

This was not one of those times. The Soul of a monster kept a blueprint of their body, just like human DNA did, so your magic could fix the damage. You could feel the magic solidifying into a body again beneath your hands, and you suddenly found yourself grateful for the awkward way your power worked.

You felt the sweat drip down your face as you tried to maintain a steady flow of magic into your patient. She'd been farther gone than Fuku had been three years ago, after getting doused in water. Then, you'd had the extra magic from an overload buildup to assist you.

You had larger reserves of magic now than you did then, and you hoped against hope that it would be enough, despite the increased severity. If you didn't have enough to finish the job, Undyne might regress into dusting. You couldn't take that chance.

You only had her hands and feet to go when you felt your magic falter and cut out. Without hesitation you forcibly started the flow up again. So close. You were so close. You couldn't ignore that you were tapping too far into your magic at this point, but she was almost stable.

After all, a mage's power wouldn't cut itself off unless it was low enough to actually be a danger to the user. You were pulling off the stuff that kept you alive to finish the job. It faltered again, but you didn't allow it to stop until Undyne had fully reformed.

Once that happened, your relief took over, cutting off your hold on your magic as it cut itself off again, hiding so deep within yourself that you couldn't reach it again. It didn't matter. Your job was done, confirmed as Undyne's eyes fluttered open.

Warm hands caught you as you staggered back. You glanced up to see, to your surprise, Fuku holding your shoulders to stabilize you. Not far away, Chara stood with Grillby, both looking on in worry. Whether that worry was for you or Undyne was unclear to you.

Fuku led you to the back, knowing you were exhausted, in hopes of getting you changed back into your own clothes. Despite her concern, there really wasn't any way except for honest rest to recover. And that meant you had to get home, obviously. Still, Fuku had sat you down forcefully on the bench and ordered you to stay.

You thought she would be happy when you didn't object, but it just seemed to worry her more. It took almost everything you had left just to re-dress yourself in your normal clothes, and that was with help.

If you'd thought you were fuzzy after healing Sans, it was nothing compared to now. Grillby snapped you out of your daze at some point, trying to tell you something. You couldn't comprehend a single word he was saying. In fact, you were relatively certain you were asleep anyhow.

Someone shaking you forced you to open your eyes again. The only thing you saw was an endless sea of green and orange. Fuku and Grillby maybe? Oh, were you still at work? You should really go back home and sleep in your own bed. You didn't want to inconvenience them. You tried to mumble something to this effect as you stood, but you weren't entirely sure if your mouth had obeyed you.

Might've worked too, if your legs had been nice enough to cooperate. Instead you were suddenly admiring the pretty brown, wooden floor of the bar. Shouldn't that have hurt? Oh well, no pain meant you didn't get hurt, right? That was good.

A loud thud and some yelling entered your ears, but you disregarded it. It wasn't you falling to the floor, obviously. Your arms decided to listen to your orders and you pushed yourself back up into a sitting position. You blinked at all the colors around you, trying to determine where the bench was so you could drag yourself up using it.

Yellow and endless grey entered your field of vision suddenly as you were reaching for the stable wood you'd been sitting on previously. Blue, cloth covered hands grabbed yours as someone tried to talk to you. Nope, couldn't even hear the voice well enough to identify who was speaking, let alone what was being said.

Another very warm, familiar hand tugged at your socks. Suddenly the voices were so loud you might have even understood them if there was only one. As it were, all of the noise blended together into something that almost sounded like a lullaby to your exhausted mind.

Why was Fuku taking your socks off? Weren't shoes supposed to go first? Had you somehow ended up at home and she was trying to get you into bed? You blinked at the mismatched colors on your legs, confused. What had _that_ accomplished?

The hands holding yours tightened. More people talking, but it all blurred together. Home. You couldn't sleep at work. It would be painfully rude to Grillby, who'd done so much for you over the past three years, to use his bar like a hotel.

Sheer willpower got you to your feet as you tried to stumble toward where you knew the door was. The hands holding yours tightened again to keep you in place, causing you to twirl awkwardly. Trying to explain, you were sure this time when you mumbled, you managed to make at least the word "bed" understandable enough.

Instead, another pair of -clawed? - hands were set on your back. To stabilize you, you realized, as you'd been about to pitch backward. Who the heck was in the back room? Since when were so many people allowed back here? This was at least four, by your count. The grey, the yellow, Fuku, and Grillby. Was the yellow the one holding you up?

You twisted so you could confirm, indeed, the yellow had kept you from greeting the floor again. Yellow? Claws for hands? Why was that so familiar?

Suddenly you were pressed up against the greyness, your feet no longer on the floor where you'd gone through quite a bit of effort to get them. You almost protested until you realized how comfortable the greyness was. A bit hard, certainly, but your aching limbs fully appreciated not being forced to work suddenly.

Smaller hands grabbed yours then, and a warm sensation filled you as you drifted off.

Too comfortable.

* * *

Alphys's panic didn't fade even as your magic engulfed the two of you. She could see Undyne's Soul through the holes in her rapidly dusting body, and the crack forming in it didn't give her any measure of calmness.

You didn't kid around though. All the dust in the air halted as your power expanded.

The glow from your cobalt magic filled the room as you forced your magic to seal the crack in Undyne's rapidly degenerating Soul. She vaguely saw Grillby pull his phone out, but didn't pay much attention to whatever he was doing.

It was a long wait before the blue magic eased away from Undyne's once again whole Soul. Still, you kept the outpouring constant as her body began to reform. What dust was in the air that your magic could reach got pulled into the reformation as if you'd magnetized it.

How much energy was this taking?

Alphys pulled out her phone to call Sans as she watched her fiancé's body slowly remaking itself. He needed to be here. You were going to need him.

Alphys didn't even know exactly what she was saying, but whatever had actually left her mouth had gotten the sleepy skeleton to full awareness. The door opened to allow Fuku and a very sleepy Chara to enter. She supposed it wasn't quite safe to leave the kid at home alone at this hour, which was the only reason Alphys didn't protest.

Still, Chara didn't need to see the state Undyne was in, a sentiment that Grillby seemed to share as he brought the kid to the counter for some food. A choked noise escaped Alphys's throat when the glow from your magic disappeared completely. Undyne, not quite stable yet, started to deteriorate again almost immediately, but the glow started up dimly again as you caught it.

How tired were you, to just stop in the middle like that? It wasn't like you at all.

It halted again, but this time Undyne remained stable, eyes fluttering open. Alphys rushed forward as you stumbled back, catching one of Undyne's hands in her grip as tears streaked down her face. "What h-happened?" Undyne asked as Fuku led you away.

The only answer Alphys could give her was a cracked sob, at the same time that the door burst open again, revealing the skeleton brothers this time. Of course, Papyrus would come too; Undyne was probably his best friend. "HOW IS UNDYNE?" Sans questioned frantically.

"What d-do you m-mean?" Undyne stuttered, utterly confused.

"You were dusting babe!" Alphys choked out between sobs. "Your Soul cracked nearly in two." She managed to explain the car swerving to hit her, the rush here, and your healing, as well as that terrifying stutter near the end.

Something seemed to dawn on Sans then as he swiftly glanced around the room, panicking when he didn't see you. "WHERE IS _?" He asked.

Papyrus took her place next to Undyne as she stood. It was only right for her to help him, and to express her gratitude to you. Fuku had reemerged from the back to speak to her father in a hushed whisper. A few seconds later, before they even managed to cross the bar to meet up, a crash sounded from the back room.

All five of them, Chara included, rushed toward the door. Being closer, Alphys and Sans reached it first, jerking the door open and taking note of the fallen shelves. You were laying on the ground awkwardly, glaring at your arms as you pushed yourself up.

Sans gripped your hands gently to help you, asking if you were alright. You barely seemed to register that he'd spoken, eyes refusing to focus. The panic reentered Sans's expression. "SHE COULDN'T HAVE." He breathed.

"Couldn't have what?" Alphys questioned as Chara moved to cover their mouth with their hands in shock. Fuku and Grillby seemed to understand what he was getting at though as they both rushed forward. You stared dumbly as Fuku dragged your sock down to reveal your mage-mark. Or, at least, where it _should_ have been.

The skin was blank save for the star tattoos that usually surrounded the swirly heart around a sprout that symbolized your magic.

But then it wasn't as the mark flickered back into existence. It was hard to see though, disappearing again quickly before reappearing again. "THERE'S A POINT AT WHICH A MAGE RUNS OUT OF THE NORMAL MAGIC THAT THEY USE FOR THEIR SPELLS. THEY STILL HAVE ENOUGH FOR IT TO REPLENISH ITSELF AND KEEP THEM ALIVE THOUGH. UNLESS THEY TRY TO TAP INTO IT TO KEEP GOING." He answered, still panicked as the mark solidified itself on your skin again.

Your reserves were empty, Alphys realized. The mark's brightness depended on how much magic you had available to use. It was flickering on and off of your skin because it had no magic to maintain itself. You had stopped before you were done _because you had run out of magic._

You could have killed yourself continuing after that. "So, what happened to her? Where'd she get the rest of it?" She asked, lifting the shelving back into its proper place.

"She cut off body processes to use that energy since she had nothing left." Grillby put in, sounding terrified.

Unaware of everything that was going on at that point, you got to your feet, mumbling unintelligibly. Sans rose with you, confused as you tried to make your way to the door. You stumbled and he tugged on your hands, twirling you as Alphys reached up to stabilize you.

"ENOUGH OF THAT." He scolded you, scooping you off your feet and holding you to his chest. You didn't struggle at all, which worried all of them quite a bit. Chara reached out to grab your hands with their own glowing ones, holding up a finger as the adults protested.

Alphys watched as the mark on your leg stopped flickering out of existence as your glazed eyes drifted shut, waiting for Chara to back up. _'Compatible mages can share magic. Since we're bonded, I can share with her.'_ They explained, signing once your magic was stable.

Sans's grip on you didn't loosen even as the panic faded.


	32. Reveille

You weren't entirely sure what woke you, but you were relatively certain you would rather have stayed asleep. You hurt. It felt like someone had taken a sledgehammer to you.

It was your own fault. You knew better. Healing monsters took so _much_ though. Undyne hadn't needed much _help_ once her Soul was fixed. She'd needed _magic._ Humans didn't need nearly so much magic to heal. If it had been a human in the same situation, it would have been _easy_. Almost nothing in comparison.

But it was the first time Alphys had asked you for help. You couldn't just _refuse_. Especially not something with such dire consequences. Nor did you even _want_ to refuse; Undyne was _your_ friend too.

A wave of discomfort washed through you. Even knowing it wouldn't make you feel any better, you tensed, holding your breath as you waited for it to pass.

Gentle hands shook you. "YOU HAVE TO BREATHE, _" A familiar voice reminded you insistently.

Your eyes shot open to a view of your boyfriend leaning over you. His eye sockets widened at seeing you awake, hesitating only for an instant before pulling you into a tight embrace. "Good morning." You managed to tell him, returning the hug.

It was a few minutes before he pulled away. You sat up as he did, looking around. You were in your room. It made sense. There wasn't much anyone else could do for you.

Sans seemed to hesitate before speaking. "THEY SEEMED SO SURE YOU WOULDN'T WAKE UP TODAY." He informed you carefully. "EVEN FUKU SAID YOU PROBABLY WOULDN'T UNTIL YOUR MAGIC WAS BACK UP."

Ah. Yeah. That was probably correct. _You_ had no idea why you were awake. You lifted a hand to inspect it, glowing as you checked it. Your magic was still severely low, but not so much that it worried you to check it. You weren't drawing off what was keeping you alive for _this_.

Sans grabbed your hand suddenly, cutting off your concentration easily. That was fine. You got what you needed: confirmation that your magic was working properly. "PLEASE DON'T." He requested, voice shaky. His gaze dropped from yours to inspect your comforter. "IT'S TERRIFYING," he admitted.

"Sans?" you prompted when he didn't continue.

"TOO MUCH MAGIC WILL KILL YOU. TOO LITTLE MAGIC, AND YOU'LL DIE. IT'S TERRIFYING." He repeated. "THERE'S NOTHING I COULD EVEN _DO_ WHEN YOU USED TOO MUCH. I WASN'T EVEN THERE. THAT'S EVEN WORSE. I'M NEVER THERE WHEN YOU NEED ME."

"Hey." You said to get his attention. He slowly raised his skull to view you. "I'm sorry for scaring you. I have a pretty good idea of what my limits are. I just…couldn't abide by them this time. You certainly aren't at fault, Sans. I know you guys take turns coming to get me. There's nothing wrong with not coming when it isn't your night. You guys don't even have to do it in the first place."

It took him a moment to reply. "I AM SOMEWHERE BETWEEN THANKING YOU, STANDING IN AWE OF YOU, AND SCOLDING YOU. I DON'T KNOW WHICH TO DO FIRST." He told you honestly.

You smiled. "If Grillby has taught me anything, it's always start with the scolding."

"YOU SCARED US!" He began immediately, taking your advice. You startled at the sudden volume. "YOU SCARED _ME_. YOU HAD OTHER PEOPLE WITH MAGIC _RIGHT THERE_. WHY DIDN'T YOU ASK FOR HELP?"

Ah. "I…can't." Sans's eye-lights were fixed on you as you fought to find the words to explain. "Human mages can't just _share_ the way you monsters can. They have to be compatible or their magics will attack each other. While my magic is compatible enough for everyone else, since it's geared for healing, it isn't quite so accepting. Not even my siblings can share with me."

He contemplated this information for a few seconds. "CHARA CAN."

"Of course. Since we bonded, magically, Chara is a part of me. And I'm a part of them. Our magic doesn't even recognize there's a difference anymore." You confirmed before pausing. "Chara did, didn't they." Sans nodded.

"IT'S SORT OF HARD TO SCOLD YOU WHEN YOU HAVE SUCH GOOD REASONS FOR DOING THINGS." He complained, earning a chuckle from you. His tone shifted suddenly as he raised his free hand to your face. You leaned into the touch without even thinking about it. Sans was comfortable. "YOU'RE AMAZING. YOU KNOW THAT, RIGHT?"

Your face heated up as he stared at you adoringly. The lights in his eye sockets had transformed from little balls into heart shapes. Or, perhaps it was more accurate to call them Soul shapes? You weren't sure. You lowered you gaze, stuttering in embarrassment.

He'd apparently moved on to standing in awe of you.

You heard your door open with a bang. You twisted so you could see the stairs as Fuku appeared at the top of them, almost tripping as she rounded the railing to view you and Sans. "You're already up." She stated quietly, disbelieving.

You blinked. "Either that, or this is a _very_ lucid dream." You allowed. You supposed it was technically possible.

Fuku was across the room faster than you could blink, ramming into you with a hug and knocking you over. "Don't you ever do that again, you cretin!" She ordered, choking.

"Only if you promise nobody is going to get hurt again." You rebutted.

Fuku sobbed, not bothering to answer you. She knew it was something neither of you could promise.

You brought up your free arm to wrap around her, as the other was still captured by Sans. You could feel the warmth seeping through your pajamas, and it was doing its best to lull you back to sleep. You tried to fight against the lethargy; you still wanted to talk to Sans and Fuku after all.

It was a losing battle, however. You didn't think, despite the draining, that it was possible to be more comfortable than this. Cuddling your best friend with the extra comfort of having your boyfriend hold your hand? Nah. There wasn't anything better.

"I'm gonna stay in bed today, kay?" You managed to mumble as your eyes shut again. If either of them answered you, you didn't hear it. You were already asleep again.

* * *

The next time you woke, you weren't so confused as to why. Several parts of your body were demanding immediate attention, including your stomach and your bladder. You rolled so you could position yourself to get up, and ended up rolling into someone.

You opened your eyes through the crustiness caked onto them to find Sans snoozing half-on the bed, other half on the floor. His hand was only a few centimeters away from your own. He must have fallen asleep holding your hand too.

The mental image made you smile.

Knowing he would worry if he woke up and you were gone, you gently shook him. Very gently, mostly because your body wasn't supplying the strength required for anything rougher yet. "Hey you."

His eye sockets popped open quickly enough, rising to view you before the lights had even formed all the way. "YOU'RE UP AGAIN." He observed.

"Yeah. I have to get all the way up this time." You said, stretching as you pushed yourself up to a sitting position. You felt much better than you had the first time, leading you to believe it had been several long hours since then.

You had no doubt it was his own sleepiness that caused him to groan in complaint. He was so cute. You moved more quickly than you'd thought you could in that moment, pressing a quick kiss to his cheekbone and tugging him the rest of the way onto the bed.

You paused as you were pulling the blanket over him, his dark blue skull hammering it home what you'd just done. You hadn't even realized it. Sure, it hadn't exactly been a make-out session, but your boyfriend also didn't have lips, so…

It was still the first time you'd kissed someone with non-platonic intentions. It was a very gradual thing, the way your blood creeped up to flush your cheeks, as you replayed the instant in your mind on repeat. You were certain from the sheer heat all the way up to your ears that your current blush was much deeper than it usually was.

Your bladder reminded you why you were getting up in the first place, forcing you to your feet quickly.

You finally paused to think while you were washing your hands.

What should you expect for intimacy from this relationship? You were going into it with the viewpoint of just the human side, and that wasn't fair. Then again, it wasn't like you could just google it the way that Sans could. He clearly knew what a kiss was despite not having any lips, so it couldn't be unheard of for monsters. Was sex a thing then?

You really needed to have that conversation with Undyne.

* * *

Grillby smirked as he heard you thunder down the stairs. Even if you were still tired, you were definitely fine. Not that it would stop him from force feeding you healthy food.

You Soul was in an embarrassed turmoil, but it was very much like Fuku had been as she and Muffet got closer, so he wasn't worried. Well, that wasn't quite right. You worried him like nobody else on the planet could, save Fuku. Just for different reasons.

You emerged into the kitchen with a thoughtful expression, sitting at the table to eat your fruit seemingly without even noticing it was there.

"Thanks Dad." You told him just as absently.

About the same time the feeling of pride swept through him, understanding dawned in your expression. Your head whipped up so you could view him, suddenly almost fearful.

"I'm sorr-." You began, shrinking in on yourself a bit. Grillby interrupted you.

"You're welcome." You hesitated, not quite ready to relax quite yet. "You can call me that. I'm happy to be that for you." Grillby assured you.

It seemed to take a few seconds to register what he'd said, and still a few more for you to understand it. Once that happened, he could see the demeanor change from worried to disbelieving.

Then you smiled bigger than he thought he'd ever seen. And that was saying something, as your smiles weren't exactly small.


	33. Teatime

"N-no, most hu-human intimacy isn't p-practiced by m-monsters." Undyne stuttered. You couldn't help but sigh a little as you stared into your tea. "Th-that doesn't m-mean you couldn't try! I'm s-sure if you asked, Sans w-would be willing to h-help you out."

You smiled at your friend. "Yeah, I probably could. That isn't really fair though. Sex is supposed to be fun for _both_ people involved, not just one." You took a sip of your tea, grimacing a bit when it still scalded your tongue. "I can see why so many human-monster relationships have had trouble, if you don't practice human intimacy and can't really tell us about your own. I hope that'll change someday."

"It c-could, but th-this is at l-least a s-start. Th-though I'm sure s-some secrecy will be necessary for qu-quite a wh-while." Undyne downed her own tea easily, making you glare at your own for still being so hot. "Y-you and S-sans really have th-the advantage in th-this case, since y-you know about Souls."

A silly grin forced itself onto your face when you thought about all the events that led to _that_ outcome. Fate? Maybe. What other explanation _was_ there? Everything that had happened this past year was outlandish even by mage standards.

Perhaps Fate was tired of you ignoring it for so long while wallowing in your own misery.

"So." You started when Undyne began talking again, jerking a bit. You were happy your tea was on the table, where it couldn't spill as a result. "S-Soul intimacy is…w-wow. I've n-never explained this t-to a human before. I don't kn-know where t-to start."

"Where would you start if I were a monster?" You prompted, moderately surprised she didn't have the whole conversation ready to go, accentuated by a powerpoint or three.

Undyne turned that beautiful violet color again as you waited for an answer. "I-it's all instinctual for m-m-monsters. We d-don't really _n-need_ an e-explanation. Encounters begin n-not long after a m-monster is b-born. Evolution f-from there is j-just the n-natural order of th-things."

"I suppose I'm out of _that_ loop. I can't really start with encounters without it being dangerous, according to Chara." You tried your tea again. How was it still so hot? Did Undyne and Alphys have magicked teacups or something?

"Th-they're not wrong. But e-encounters don't o-outright expose a m-monster's Soul a-anyways. It's odd th-that a humans S-Soul is always brought o-out, since it's r-really the o-opposite for u-us." Undyne explained. "The encounter f-for monsters is a w-way to share m-magic in a c-communicative way. Soul e-exposure isn't r-really necessary for j-just that."

"So, kinda how Chara and I talk?" You asked, grasping for an easy connection.

Undyne pondered it for a moment before nodding. "In a-a way. You t-two never enter an e-encounter, though, so th-the way i-it works is _similar,_ n-not the _s-same._ Past e-encounters, I s-suppose the n-next thing is _sharing_. One or b-both parties brings their S-Soul out and l-lets the other look at it. I p-promise it's m-more intimate th-than it sounds."

"I think I've done that." You muttered.

"Your u-usual flashes d-don't really count a-as sharing." Undyne informed you.

"Oh, no. Not _that_. I mean I've actually had it brought out and looked at it with Fuku. You're right. It's a really intimate thing, even if it wasn't in a romantic way." Undyne was gaping openly at you now.

There was a long, uncomfortable pause before she responded. "I…d-don't know why I-I'm so s-surprised. Sh-sharing Souls usually happens w-with family f-first." She said it so matter-of-factly, you almost missed the implication there.

"Family?" You squeaked. She was right. Fuku and Grillby _were_ family, just as much as Chara, Eve, and Damien were. You just…weren't quite ready to outright call them that yet. You lifted your hands to cover your suddenly burning face. It was so elating, knowing that they viewed _you_ the same way, but…

Did you really deserve it?

Did someone like you, who barely knew what a family _was,_ deserve such a great one?

Undyne interrupted your introspection. "W-well, yes. Th-they pretty m-much _are_ your f-family. I'm a b-bit surprised they h-haven't formally adopted y-you into theirs y-yet. Well, m-maybe it'll h-happen soon."

You were stuttering almost as badly as Undyne after that. In hopes of recovering, you lifted your tea to attempt to drink again. You ended up gulping much more of the hot liquid than you had initially intended in your haste and jerked the cup away from your face as the tea burned your lips. The heat spread at this point, as it sloshed out of the teacup and down your shirt.

Undyne jumped up to grab some napkins in hopes of saving your shirt. You accepted them thankfully as she whisked away the offending teacup, trying to scrub the rapidly cooling liquid from the fabric. It wasn't getting the stain out though. Quickly, you stood and headed to the kitchen.

Your body didn't cooperate fully though. You vision blacked over and you stumbled into the wall, thankfully catching yourself on it. You found yourself unable to move for a few terrifying seconds until your vision began to fade back in. It wasn't long enough to cause Undyne to question it thankfully.

It looked like you might have done permanent damage to yourself after all.

Regaining your ability to move, you yanked your shirt over your head and stuffed it under the faucet. It was going to be frustrating, leaning to live with this new problem.

* * *

Eve stared at the subject line of the email for a long time before she dared to open it. You didn't send emails to her. To the extent of her knowledge, you barely knew how it worked, much preferring simple social media that kept everything organized for you.

 _'I need to tell you something.'_ Geez. Why didn't you just come in her door bearing cinnamon rolls and a bittersweet smile?

Liam leaned on the back of her office chair with a confused expression. "Is there a reason you don't want to read that? You've been staring at it for nearly ten minutes. I wish I was exaggerating."

"Something bad happened. I'm not sure I want to read it." Eve said.

Liam spun the chair around so that Eve's eyes were ripped from the screen. "You know your sister. She isn't going to tell you something you don't want to hear unless she thinks it's important for you to know. Or if you'd find out anyway and get pissed at her for not telling you. I don't know her as well as you do, but I think you know that you _do_ want to read that message."

Sighing, Eve conceded the point. "I do. I will. Just…not yet."

Liam sent her an encouraging smile as he took her hand and pulled her out of the chair. "How about some lunch. You'll feel better on a full stomach."


	34. Self Reproach

"How would a staring contest be fair?" You demanded, mock angrily. "You don't even need to blink. Pick a different tiebreaker." A smile tugged at your lips as your boyfriend glared at you playfully.

"THAT'S WHAT IT SAYS IN THE RULES. FUKU PRINTED THEM OFF, SO DON'T BLAME ME FOR YOUR INEVITABLE DEFEAT." Despite the teasing nature of what he said, it irked you a bit.

"She just printed a series of contests for us for fun. Making the tiebreaker a staring contest would be the equivalent of making a tiebreaker between a bird and a fish a flying contest. Inevitable defeat isn't fun." You argued. Intrinsically unfair competitions had always grated on you, but seeing Sans attitude toward them surprised you. "We didn't do the _hang-a-spoon-off-your-nose_ contest since you don't have a nose and would have automatically lost, so how is this different?"

Sans paused, confused at seeing you so serious about it. "I SUPPOSE THAT'S TRUE." He paused again, unsure what he could say that wouldn't make you more upset. His sudden hesitance only fueled the aggravation growing inside of you though.

Knowing you needed to calm down, you held a finger up, breathing slowly as you counted to ten. He probably was just having fun and hadn't meant it in any negative way. He had no way of knowing how much this would bother you, so he wasn't really at fault.

Realizing you'd been unfairly curt with Sans, you offered a compromise. "Since we're out of contests, would you like to call it a draw? We can continue using the score next time and break it then."

His fighting spirit renewed, Sans quickly agreed. "HOW ABOUT WE CONTINUE OUR COMPETITION DURING THE PICNICS ON SURFACING DAY?" He offered.

You paused. When was Surfacing Day? It had to be soon or else Sans wouldn't have suggested it, but the celebration was generally not open to the public, so you'd never kept track of when it was. Unsure, you asked your boyfriend to confirm the date of the occasion.

In three weeks.

"WHAT'S WRONG, _?" he questioned. You weren't surprised at his intuitiveness. He wouldn't even need to hear your thoughts considering how you could feel your face fall as you lined up the dates on your mental calendar.

"I won't be here for it." You replied, downcast. "I'll be at Eve's for the wedding. I was planning to ask you to go with me, but…"

Sans fell silent again, as did you. It wouldn't hurt, right? It was just one date you were unable to agree to. Just one. Because you both had prior plans, well in advance to the occasion. This was normal in dating right? Sometimes, someone was busy. It was _normal_.

It was just…

 _You_ were always the one to ask _Sans_ on dates. Partially because you researched extensively, and partially because you were the one with an ever-changing schedule. It was easier for you to ask Sans, because then both of you already knew you were available. Sans had probably assumed you'd be available this time because you worked for Grillby.

This was the first time _he_ had asked _you_.

And you'd said _no._

Your heart dropped lower in your chest at this realization. Almost painfully so. Could emotions still cause you physical pain? You had thought you'd numbed yourself to that years ago. Apparently, the capacity for heartache had resurfaced from wherever you'd buried it before.

But it _hurt_. Even though it wasn't your fault, you felt guilty. Your throat closed as your mind raced, repeating to you over and over again how you were such a bad girlfriend.

"HEY." Sans cut into your mental self-deprecation. Placing a gloved hand on both of your cheeks, he held your head in place as he nuzzled your nose comfortingly. "IT'S ALRIGHT. CALM DOWN." He didn't say it. Both of you already _knew_ it.

He didn't blame you. Nobody was at fault, after all. Schedules didn't line up sometimes. It happens.

You don't know how many times you repeated that to yourself in the following moment before you calmed down to Sans's satisfaction. "Sorry Sans. I don't know what caused _that_." You told him after he released you.

"THERE'S NO NEED TO BE SORRY. YOU'RE WORRIED BECAUSE YOU LOVE ME. I'M FLATTERED, TO BE HONEST." He informed you, blue magic dusting his cheeks.

Was there any better boyfriend in the world than Sans?

You didn't think so.

* * *

Deciding to use the intermission between your classes for something productive, you headed to a secluded part of the grounds to sit under a tree. Your phone was already dialing when you realized just how reversed your situation had become. Your smile grew as you greeted Chara's dad.

"Hey Asgore. I need a favor." You had meant to sound serious, but the smile had ruined it. You could hear the upturn of your lips in the words you spoke, and if _you_ could hear it, then Asgore definitely could.

"What is it you need, my child?" You wondered if the term of endearment was a slip-up for a split second before dismissing the errant thought.

"So. I haven't been keeping track of Surfacing Day on my mental calendar. I won't be in town for it, but I know it's important to them so I need to ask Chara if they want to stay in town for it. Before that, though, I need to ensure I have a safe place for them to stay in the meantime." You explained.

There was a deliberate pause. "Am I allowed to?"

Your chest hurt a bit again at this question. Chara had only stayed at your house since the custody dispute, somewhat in hopes of it cooling down enough that people wouldn't pay enough attention to raise a fuss. Since then, the monarchs had been over multiple times a week, but it hadn't occurred to you until now how much it must have hurt them to go home alone.

"Of course. I'm their legal guardian, but I can leave them in the care of a responsible adult. You used to do it with me, remember?" You answered lightly, trying to ignore the growing feeling in your chest.

You got the feeling Asgore was about to argue, but no sound exited the phone. "Hello?" You tried, thinking the call had dropped. A loud, broken sob startled you. "Asgore? Are you all right?"

He didn't answer right away. He couldn't answer, if the sounds of his crying were anything to go by. The seconds ticked by as you waited, guilt growing.

You doubted you _should_ be feeling guilty. After all, neither the monarchs nor Chara had asked you if they could stay over, and you'd been scrambling to keep up with everything as it was. Yet, the logic in this situation did nothing to quell the tightening in your chest as you listened.

"Thank you, my child." Despite the words he'd said, the feeling of guilt only grew. "Thank you." He repeated the words again and again as if it were a lifeline, each time unknowingly making that choking feeling rise farther and farther up your throat until it was hard to breathe.

"Thanks, Asgore. Now I just have to ask them if they want to stay for Surfacing Day or go to Eve's wedding with me." You told him, hoping the conversation would end there so you could go drink some water or something to make this awful feeling go away.

Asgore's tone was serious when he replied. "That's the choice you're asking them to make?"

Huh? "Well, yeah. They can't go to both after all."

"Are you certain asking them is such a good idea? They are yet young, and this decision is rather…" He trailed off, not knowing how to say it without offending you.

"Chara's a teenager. They have the right to decide for themselves which event they'd rather attend."

"No, you're right. It's just…it seems like asking them to choose between two of their families." Asgore explained his hesitance.

You didn't reply. You couldn't, as that feeling of guilt gripped your throat again. There was no avoiding that very situation. Chara had two families: one with you and one with the monarchs. Sometimes they would have to choose. Still, the logic didn't help to tame your turbulent emotions.

"I can't make the choice for them. It wouldn't be right." You finally replied, hoping that leaving the decision to the teenager was the correct choice and not a dereliction of your duty. "Either way, they have time to decide. I'll let the school know in advance to let Chara out for the week, since either way they won't be able to attend."

You hung up then, the phone slipping from your fingers into the grass below. Of course you wanted Chara to come with you. How could you not? Surfacing Day happened every year, but Eve would only marry once. But it wasn't your decision to make.

You leaned your head back against the tree with a sigh. It was going to be hard not to sway Chara in one direction or the other. You'd have to be very careful with how you worded things. You couldn't be biased in one direction when you asked them, or they would probably choose that because of _you,_ not _themself_.

It remained that way for a relieving for minutes before the small device began to shrill, warning you to get back to class. With a sigh, you tossed the phone into your bag and stood.

Your vision went black almost as soon as you'd straightened, causing you to stumble back into the tree behind you. The terrifying blind seconds passed slowly, probably because you were so much more aware of the passing time than you normally were.

But, like before, things came back into view, the blackness receding to the edges of your vision before disappearing completely. Still you didn't move forward, instead collapsing back onto the ground. It was too much.

Guilt about Sans. Guilt about Asgore and Toriel. Worry over Chara's decision. Worry about not doing well at your guardian duties. Frustration and fear about this new, strange problem. The horrible feelings in your chest from before were quickly compounding upon each other into something that you shoved back into whatever recesses it had tried to crawl out of.

No. You did not need to cry. Crying would get you nowhere.

You could handle it.

* * *

Asgore wasn't sure what to say when Chara came to him. He listened patiently as the child -no, the teenager- complained about being unsure what to do and your frustrating reaction to it.

Apparently, you had just smiled and told them to do whatever they wanted. You hadn't even replied when they'd asked what _you_ would rather they choose.

In your shoes, Asgore wasn't sure he could have done the same. Even now, with you having set the example, he wasn't sure if he could _not_ ask them to stay.

For a brief moment, Asgore felt angry at you. Did you not take this as seriously as he had thought you would? If Chara was as much your concern as they should be, you should definitely feel turmoil over this decision. How could you ask them to choose with no indication of your own preference? Did you not care? Did you not want them with you?

'What would you like me to do, Dad?' Chara finally signed. 'And do you think that's the right thing for me to pick?' They added, almost as an afterthought.

And suddenly Asgore understood, perhaps not _how_ you had remained impartial, but _why_. Not because you didn't care, but because it was important that the adults in this situation didn't pressure Chara one way or the other.

If they did, it would cause unnecessary friction in Chara's Soul. They would feel torn, unable to pick a side without doing irreparable harm to the relationship with the other, even if just in their own mind. And suddenly, with Chara's interests at heart instead of his own, Asgore suddenly found it very easy to ask, "What would _you_ prefer to do?" with a knowing smile.

Chara threw their arms up in frustration. 'Okay, here's a better question. Are you or _ going to be upset if I choose not to go with you?'

Was it a lie to say no? He would definitely be sad at the loss, but he couldn't be upset either with Chara or with you over something so small. He could only imagine what you could have said in this situation. "I'd be sad to lose the time with you, but I'd be happy knowing you're happy."

Chara didn't seem any less frustrated at this answer, telling him that you had said effectively the same thing. Asgore was much surer then of you as Chara's guardian.


	35. Handfasting

Your overnight bag dropped onto the bed soundlessly despite the silence of the room around you. It was almost uncomfortable how the quiet permeated the air. The noises you made seemed unnaturally loud and unnerving so you tried your hardest not to make any, which only seemed to compound the situation.

Silence was a stranger to you now. At home, there was always noise. Fuku, you, Chara, and Temmie filled the house with laughter and talking and banter and _noise._ Even when everyone slept, you could feel the familiar buzz of their magic brushing on the edge of your senses, lulling you to sleep like a lullaby.

This hotel room had none of that. There was no familiar laughter, or jokes, or even banter. There was no familiar hum of your family's magic. You couldn't even feel the hum of Chara's magic brushing up against your own.

There was only silence.

This shouldn't be so strange, you rationalized. Not so long ago, you'd lived in a dorm room just as impersonal and silent as this room. Being alone for a few nights shouldn't seem so dauntingly harrowing to you.

But it did.

The air conditioner under the window kicked on loudly, startling you. It wasn't quite the kind of noise that you _wanted_ , but for now it would have to do. It was all the noise you _had._

You opened your bag and took out the cobalt dress inside, hanging it up so it wouldn't wrinkle before the wedding. You smoothed your hands over the fabric, easing away any wrinkles it had gained from the trip. The event itself was in two days, but that didn't mean you wouldn't be too busy to do it later.

Deciding to shower before bed, you started yanking things out of your bag. You had found almost all of your toiletries when a small, wrapped object demanded your attention.

Chara's gift to the newlyweds.

You sat down on the armchair behind you hard, barely even registering that you had done so. It hurt. You had stayed so neutral. Asgore, in Chara's best interest, had stayed just as neutral. But that dumb, biased comment from Toriel…

Chara was supposed to decide on their own. With no outside interference. It was too easy to influence people when they had a tough decision to make. You and Asgore had the memo. Temmie, Fuku, Grillby, Udnyne, Alphys, Sans, and even Papyrus had followed your lead, refusing to influence the teen in one way or another.

You couldn't help but be upset by the fact that the monarch had ruined that decision.

And here you were, far from home. Completely and utterly _alone_. At least if Toriel hadn't said anything, you could be content with the situation.

You set the gift aside and threw your belongings off the bed before climbing in it.

Showering in the morning sounded good just then.

* * *

The light, flowing fabric of the dress felt good against your skin on such a warm spring day. The crimped bottom layer of the dress made it a bit warmer, but it breathed quite nicely despite this. Around your wrists and ankles were clasped decorative silver chains. On your right ankle, it had been modified to frame your mage mark beautifully. A bejeweled circlet that matched both the chains and dress rested on your forehead.

Eve had gotten hold of your hair that morning, tying it back in intricate braided patterns with bejeweled hair ties and a silver hair comb. She'd spent nearly an hour and a half fussing over your locks and making sure your circlet sat just so before snapping a quick picture. You weren't sure why, since the photographers would be careful to get absolutely everyone, but you ignored it. She probably wanted a keepsake of her handiwork.

You weren't the only one dressed this way. Everywhere you looked, the guests were dressed in the same intricate way, in colors that matched their magic. This _was_ a mage's handfasting after all. You _were,_ however, the only one to receive the honor of getting her hair done from the bride herself.

Not even Damien got spoiled in such a way.

It had been so long since you wore ceremonial clothes of any sort. Summer ceremony dress was the best. You caught yourself wishing that Chara had gotten the chance to wear the clothes you'd made for them.

Nope. Not heading down that road today. Today was a _happy_ day.

Eve looked even better than you did, decked out in her lavender attire. Unlike you and the rest of the guests, Eve forewent the circlet in favor of a tiara, usually worn by the female mage leading a ceremony. In her hands, she held a small purple candle, about half the size of the white one you held.

Once everyone had arrived, the procession began. Liam and Eve led the way toward the lake, only the soft sounds of nature intruding on this moment.

The grass tickled your feet a bit as you walked with the other guests. Eve and Liam met by the water's edge, grasping each other's' hands firmly before stepping out onto the surface of the lake. They were a few steps out when you, Damien, and Liam's two brothers stepped out behind them in perfect synchronization.

The water was cold beneath your bare feet, a last remnant of the chilly winter. The magic output required to walk on the surface of water was pretty easy once you got the hang of it. The children present had been practicing for months. Chara had too.

Behind the four of you, the rest of the guests, children included, walked onto the water in a single file line. When Eve and Liam reached their destination, they stopped to face each other without letting go of their hands. You split off from your own group to move to the east side of the circle.

Liam's brother started the circle call from the north side. "Spirits of earth, we invite you to this sacred space and pray you ground any negativity you find here." The green candle in his hands burst into an emerald flame as similarly colored marks appeared on the water like a sequence circle, reaching halfway both to you and Damien on the West side.

Damien held his candle calmly. "Spirits of water, we invite you to this sacred space and pray you wash away any negativity you find here." His candle burst into blue flames and blue symbols reached back up to meet the green ones, closing the circle.

Liam's other brother was next. "Spirits of fire, we invite you to this sacred space and pray you burn away any negativity you find here." His candle burst into red flames as red symbols formed on the water.

It was your turn. You held the candle in front of you reverently. "Spirits of air, we invite you to this sacred space and pray you blow away any negativity you find here." With no input from you, the candle burst into white flames and white symbols formed on the water for your fourth of the circle. As the symbols spread far enough to touch the already formed green and red ones, your magic linked into the space you were creating.

The outside world faded away as your magical consciousness linked with your other circle casters. A world of swirling colors was there instead when you opened your mind's eye. To you, it looked like a galaxy, but you knew from experience that it would look different to each person who viewed it.

You could sense the line of guests behind Damien began to walk around the circle, evenly spacing themselves before joining hands. You could see the magic flowing from each of them to the next as they provided a second protective barrier, joining the four of your consciousnesses in magical space as the space expanded outward to include their circle as well.

Eve and Liam, both holding purple candles, touched the two wicks together. "Spirits of magic, we invite you to this sacred space and pray that you purify any negativity you find here." The joined wicks burst into a purple flame as the two joined with the rest of the consciousness.

Liam's earth brother began to speak again, though his voice wasn't the only one there. "To you two who wish to be one, we earth spirits join you in body." The hands that Eve and Liam held clasped together were surrounded in a magical green ribbon and tied.

Damien was next. "To you two who wish to be one, we water spirits join you in heart." You could feel the magic flow, but this time it did not produce a visible effect.

Liam's fire brother continued. "To you two who wish to be one, we fire spirits join you in passion." Again, you could feel the magic, but nothing visibly happened.

Your mouth opened without your input and words came out that both you and something else spoke. "To you two who wish to be one, we air spirits join you in thought." Magic flowed through you then to Liam and Eve.

"To you two who wish to be one," the entire outer circle chanted in unison, "we join you in magic." Green and violet magic surrounded the two, swirling together until the two magics were completely inseparable before sinking back into their hosts.

Everyone present spoke in unison again. "So mote it be."

The magical space began to fade, the outer circle collapsing first as each person in reverse order let go of the magic holding it together. You had to begin the send off, since you were the last one in the formation. "Spirits of air, we thank you for your presence here." A whimsical, fun feeling washed through you as your candle went out. Liam's brothers and Damien followed suit until the space collapsed completely and you opened your eyes to find yourself still standing on the lake.

Eve and Liam were the last to "wake up", staring at each other before turning out to view the rest of you.

"Congratulations!" You all chimed, not quite so synchronized anymore now that the magical subspace wasn't connecting you anymore.

You couldn't wait for the party and food.

* * *

It was too quiet at their blanket. Chara didn't seem very interested in either the food or picnic games going on, even though they had loved them all last year. Sans couldn't blame them. He felt the same way.

Without you there to enjoy it with, the whole event seemed a bit dimmer to him.

Finally, Alphys coaxed the both of them into a volleyball game by the pond. Sans and Chara against her and Undyne. They were 2 and 0 in the lead when Sans's phone buzzing distracted him and the ball flew right past him into the water.

Everyone paused for a moment. "I-I'll get it."

Chara held up a hand to stop her as they walked to the waters edge. They looked down at it for a few seconds before stepping out. Sans had expected them to sink, like normal, but their feet remained firmly planted on the surface of the pond as if it were solid ground.

"WHERE'D YOU LEARN THAT?" Sans questioned as he pulled out his phone, making sure to watch for Chara's answer.

'I learned it for the wedding.' They signed after dropping the ball in the sand.

Sans shot the teenager a sympathetic look before opening the message he'd received from your sister. He promptly dropped his phone in shock.

It was a picture of you, and you were _beautiful_. He scrambled to pick the device back up so he could admire you as Chara, Alphys, and Undyne crowded behind him.

Sapphires gleamed in your hair and on your forehead, blending perfectly into your intricate hairdo. You were smiling cutely as your hands gripped each other in a prayer-like pose, showing off your arm adornments and dress just as beautifully.

Alphys whistled from behind him.


	36. Cleanup Crew

Riding on a bus came with fewer stipulations than an airplane and was generally more comfortable for mages like yourself. That didn't mean you appreciated the long ride home. You'd read through the only book you'd brought several times already on the trip itself.

If you had to read about Paul and Leah dancing around each other instead of just _getting it over with and kissing -jeez-_ you were going to scream.

Which was a bad idea.

Period.

Although buses weren't as trigger-happy as airplanes were, it still wouldn't be a good idea for you to make a scene.

Anything magical that could take your mind off of the passing time was also off the docket. Even something as harmless as meditation would make people look at you weird, and once that happened, security wasn't far behind.

You hated plane rides as much as the next mage, but at least the trip was quick. Even sleeping wasn't a good idea, so for hours you were stuck with nothing to do except watch the scenery pass at a crawl.

A few hours in, a buzzing made itself known in the back of your head. Rather than being annoying like the buzz of a bug, it felt warm and cozy. It felt like _home_. There was only one thing it could be, and pure joy jolted through your body like an electric shock at the realization: you were close enough to feel Chara again. The horrible silence was banished back to its lonely abyss.

Of course, they would still be at the picnics celebrating, but even that thought didn't dampen your mood. Maybe you could…of course you couldn't. It would be rude to only show up at the end of the festivities, especially ones as important to the monsters as the day they were freed from their perpetual prison. You could cook a great dinner to share stories over when your bus got back though.

Which couldn't be too long now.

You came back to reality when the person across from you cleared his throat, obviously unnerved at your sudden excited giggling. "Sorry." You apologized quickly. "I'm just excited to get home." The man shook his head, muttering to himself as he went back to looking out his own window.

* * *

You were decidedly less excited when you actually reached your house. You should have expected this, to be honest. With the entire neighborhood empty of monsters, there was nobody around to keep an eye out for or stop this kind of thing.

Red and black graffiti with explicit and threatening messages were sprawled all over the walls of your house. Not just yours either, as several other houses that were owned by monsters had the same treatment applied to their finish as well. The easily reachable windows were broken, but thankfully, there was no internal damage to _your_ house. Your wards had done their job.

Some messages were explicitly aimed at _you_ as well, for daring to live with a monster. " _Traitor. Lowlife. Whore. Monster-lover._ " Couldn't they at least come up with something original? With a sigh, you dropped the bags of groceries in the kitchen and grabbed a rag and a bucket. The windows you could fix with magic. It wasn't worth the effort to waste it on graffiti though.

Once you fixed the windows and scrubbed for about an hour, you took a break to fix dinner. You pulled out the vegetables and gave them a quick fry before laying them in the bottom of the pan. Atop them you placed the ham carefully, afraid the uneven vegetables would cause it to roll out of place, before dripping the sauce over it evenly. You covered the meal in aluminum foil before popping it in the oven and setting the timer for an hour and a half. You also set a timer on your phone in case you weren't back inside by the time it went off.

You refilled your bucket and slipped back outside, taking a desolate look down your block. The usually beautiful scenery was marred by destruction and graffiti. Other windows were broken, and even the plant life in such houses weren't spared as gardens were tilled to shreds and even young saplings had been uprooted and strewn about.

Resolving yourself, you prepared a slip of paper with a sequence to fix the windows and slipped it in your pocket for later. Sure, _your_ house was almost clean, but it wasn't fair to only scrub for yourself. Nobody else should have to come home after a long, happy week to this slander and mess. You finished your house as quickly as you could before moving on to your immediate neighbor's.

Half-an-hour later, it surprised you when a second rag suddenly splashed in your bucket while you were fixing the windows on one of your neighbors' houses. Wordlessly, another of your human neighbors roughly began scrubbing at the walls of the house you were working on. You smiled at her gratefully before going back to work.

* * *

You were halfway down the block, dinner cooling on the counter and half the neighborhood out cleaning houses, when your family pulled up into your driveway. Toriel exited the car, standing on your driveway flabbergasted as she watched the scene before her. She didn't know how, but somehow, she felt down to her Soul that this was somehow your doing.

Asgore moved to stand beside her, watching as the humans on your block scrubbed at graffiti, replanted gardens, and moved broken furniture and valuables for you to fix and then bring them back to their designated places. Looking back, she saw similarly shocked expressions of Sans's, Chara's, and Fuku's faces, also mirrored by all the monsters that lived here that were arriving back around the same time as they were.

You didn't even seem to realize their presence as you wiped your forehead, obviously tired before going back to fixing someone else's stuff. The humans actually seemed to be enjoying the work, chatting with each other pleasantly whenever they were close enough to do so.

Toriel had never seen humans move to help her people in such a way. In way that wouldn't much affect their daily lives, sure, like signing petitions or giving donations back in the early days. But an entire neighborhood banding together to clean homes that had been wrecked? Never.

This combined with the fact that you were also due back today convinced her that somehow you had been the cause. For the first time, a smile caused by you split her lips.


	37. Silent Conversations

The cleanup crew had mostly fallen apart once the monsters got back, partly because they were almost done anyways, and partly because it was a noisy job and it was getting late. The city might not care much about destruction of property, but boy did they ever enforce noise ordinances.

Chara had been strangely silent since you'd noticed everyone's presence and invited them inside for dinner. Actually, not just them. The monarchs were quiet as well and even Fuku and Sans, who always had _something_ to say to fill the silence, hadn't made a peep since you began dishing up food.

"How were the festivities?" You finally asked, hoping someone would just _say_ something.

"BoRiNg As UsUaL." Temmie grumbled as he snatched his plate from you and trotted over to the table. You raised an eyebrow at him, but he didn't seem too keen on continuing the thought.

You dished up plates for everyone else as the monarchs tried to fill the empty air with platitudes about the nice weather. Had something happened during the celebration, were they just uncomfortable talking about it with you, or had you offended them in some way by not going?

"You didn't play any of the games, Temmie?" You pressed when the silence began to stretch again.

The small monster scowled at you as well as he could with his mouth full of food before swallowing and shaking his head. "WhY bOtHeR? If ChArA iSn'T gOiNg To PlAy, WhY sHoUlD i HaVe To?" He immediately went back to scarfing his food as the teen, as if expecting the conversation to turn, shoved a forkful of their own meal into their mouth.

"Chara?" You questioned anyways. "You love those games." It sounded presumptuous to say that you knew they liked yard and children's games, but with how often you'd caught them playing croquet with Temmie, you didn't think it that much of a stretch.

The silence stretched as Chara refused to answer you. You poked them through your magical bond, but the only thing that resulted in was Chara slamming it closed as quickly as they could.

The sudden silence from the bond actually made you flinch. It wasn't the same as when you travelled and the bond slowly stretched and faded over time as the distance between the two of you grew. It was sudden, almost as if a part of yourself had suddenly been ripped away from you. If your magic could feel pain, you were certain _this_ was what that would feel like.

The silence stretched far beyond the bond. The monarchs were melancholically quiet, Sans seemed to be struggling with trying to find anything to say, and Fuku was practically accusatory in her silence. It was maddening just how much you'd come to depend on the noise that your family provided, and it scared you when that silence was so all-encompassing. Especially now, when you were at home.

Chara winced at your reaction while the monsters present startled from it, yet everything remained painfully silent. Suddenly full, despite not having even eaten a single bite yet, you excused yourself from the table and went up to your room.

You didn't get far once you were up the stairs. You slumped against the wall for a few seconds before turning and sliding to the floor with your back to the wall. What happened? Had you done something to upset them?

That wasn't how you had wanted dinner to go. You wanted to excitedly share stories of the week and laugh at Chara's and Sans's inevitable antics at Surfacing Day.

With a sigh, you buried your head in your knees.

The buzz of Chara's magic didn't return.

You didn't know how long you had spent in the maddening silence when your door opened, creating precious _noise_. It could have been ten seconds, it could have been ten hours. Did it matter?

Sans's hard armor clanked, brushing against the wall as he moved to sit beside you. His bony arm wrapped around your shoulders and drew you close, and suddenly there was a much quieter buzz that you weren't sure if you _heard_ or _felt._ Again, you were unsure how long you spent with your ear up against him, just listening.

"Did something happen?" You eventually inquired, still not moving your head away from the comfortable hum he put off.

"THEY REGRETTED NOT GOING WITH YOU, AND ENDED UP SAYING…WELL…NOT NICE THINGS. ASGORE AND TORIEL TRIED TO ADMONISH CHARA FOR IT, BUT THEY…" He trailed off hesitantly, as if afraid to say the next part. He didn't continue, instead uttering a quiet apology. You didn't press the issue. Hopefully Chara would tell you when they were ready. "IT ENDED THE WHOLE CELEBRATION ON A RATHER SOUR NOTE. NOBODY'S IN THE BEST MOOD RIGHT NOW. I'M SORRY I DIDN'T EVEN THANK YOU FOR DINNER."

"It's fine. Dinner wasn't the important part anyway." You replied quietly. Neither of you spoke again, but it was fine. The silence was kept at bay by Sans.

Eventually, the door opened again. A crackling joined Sans's hum as Fuku slipped down on your other side to lean against you, filling the quiet air with even more calming noise. You felt yourself relaxing farther into Sans's embrace.

Shortly thereafter, you heard the front door open and close before your door opened yet again. The louder buzz of Chara's magic made itself known to you apologetically as the teen crawled up the stairs and into your lap. Before, their sound might have drowned out Sans's and Fuku's, but now that you were already accustomed to them you could hear them even under Chara's noise.

You didn't know it was possible to feel this relaxed without also being about to fall asleep. You felt as though your eyelids should be drooping, but you had no trouble keeping them open despite the lethargy that had overtaken the rest of your body.

 _'I'm sorry.'_ Chara's magical voice startled you into jumping a bit, confusing half the cuddle-pile, but you relaxed again quickly. _'I was wrong, but at the same time I kind of think I wasn't.'_

 _'That's fair._ ' You replied. _'Things are rarely black-and-white.'_

 _'Unless you're colorblind.'_ Chara attempted to joke. They were quiet again for a moment before continuing. _'I wasn't sure what to choose, and Toriel gave me an easy way out. I shouldn't necessarily have taken it the way I did though. After we got that picture from your sister and I walked on that pond though…I…blamed her for it. It was petty, probably, but I did it anyway.'_

You hesitated for a second before admitting, _'It might be petty, but I blamed her too.'_

Chara seemed to gain some confidence from this, even if their tone remained somber. _'I didn't talk to her at all for, like, two days. I didn't play any games because I was throwing a tantrum and wanted to be with you instead. I actually wished I had made a time lock so I could change my decision.'_

A smile crept up on your face unbidden. _'Learning from our mistakes is part of growing up Chara. Sometimes, even you have to face the music. Even if the consequences amount to nothing more than our own feelings of regret.'_

 _'Regret huh? I suppose so.'_ Chara paused again, the silence stretching long enough to startle you when they began magically speaking again. _'I apologized to Toriel already. I know it wasn't fair to take it out on her the way I did. But I doubt she forgives me yet. I said…some bad things.'_

 _'She will, in time. You're in an emotionally hectic time in your life. I'm certain Toriel understands that. It isn't like you killed someone or anything. At the end of the day, words are the easiest of offenses to forgive a teenager for.'_

Chara chuckled. _'How are you so good at this? Did you take parenting classes when I wasn't looking?'_

 _'Nah. I was just a much worse kid than you.'_ You had intended it to be a teasing phrase, but Chara actually turned their head to view you properly, eyes unreadable. _'I had way more of these talking-tos from adults at the academy. After a while, you end up memorizing the whole lecture.'_ You added, trying to clarify.

 _'You don't think much of yourself, do you _?'_ They questioned. You were caught off guard before realizing what they meant: you couldn't lie when talking this way, even if the statement was meant as a jest. You had to truly believe it.

You struggled to answer them. If you said you did, it would be a lie. If you said you didn't, that wouldn't quite be true either. _'I like to try to look at myself as realistically as possible.'_ You finally managed. It didn't answer much of anything.

 _'What does that mean to you?'_ Chara pressed.

 _'I know what I'm a failure at, and sometimes even why. I know what I'm good at.'_ You mused. That still didn't really answer the question though, and you both knew it. Chara waited patiently this time for you to formulate an answer. _'I don't really know. I_ was _a bad kid, even if I did have a perfectly good reason to be one. There's quite a few things I ended up regretting from before three years ago. I'm still not in the greatest of headspaces. But I also know that I turned out to be an okay kind of person.'_

 _'Not just '_ Okay' _.'_ Chara argued. _'You're a great kind of person.'_

 _'I don't think I'm quite as great as the idealized image you have of me.'_ Knowing that they wouldn't be able to convince you, but also knowing that hearing them say it made you happy, they let it drop.

* * *

Fuku snuggled into you comfortably on the opposite side of you as Sans. You seemed to be actually enjoying the quiet for a change, so she decided not to break it. She could feel you relax even further as the three of you cuddled before Chara came up.

It was so easy to tell when the two of you began having a conversation, even if she and Sans couldn't hear what either of you were saying to each other. Thanks to the close proximity, the silence, and her own closeness to you on an emotional level, she could feel the tiny pulses your Souls were sending each other as communication.

It really _was_ like an encounter in that way. A quick glance at Sans told her that he could definitely feel it too. He seemed to be straining to sense them though, and Fuku took a bit of pleasure in that, even if it was less than fitting to. After all, you were _hers_ long before you were _his._

Still, it wasn't like she begrudged Sans the closeness to you. She had her own love life as well, and neither had caused any rift between the two of you as friends.

Your conversation extended for quite a while, but the position was comfortable enough that nobody moved much or complained. Fuku almost found it odd that whenever the two of you spoke to each other in this way, despite you describing it as absolutely honest and literally with your Souls, you never projected what was said. It was almost as though with a proper recipient for the thought to go to, your Soul saw no reason to tell anyone else about it.

The way you projected, though, was so rare it was hard to truly understand. To the extent of her knowledge, you were literally the only integrity human that did it and was close enough to monsters for it to be noticed. Even other people with Soul flashes like yours didn't project, but Undyne had theorized that was because _you_ were integrity, while the others they'd managed to observe were not.

The pulses of your conversation faded slowly. Both your and Chara's breathing had deepened, even while you were still talking, so it didn't quite occur to Fuku until you literally fell over that the two of you had fallen asleep.

With a smile, she and Sans tucked the two of you into your bed before heading downstairs. "It occurs to me…" Fuku mused aloud, breaking the long silence finally, "that at the end there, they were literally sleep-talking." Sans's snort made her laugh.


End file.
